Aging in Place in First Nations Communities: A community-based approach to supporting older Indigenous people with dementia.

First Nations (FN) populations in Canada are rapidly aging. Rates of dementia are reported to be 34% higher than the non-Aboriginal population and rising more quickly [1]. Chronic diseases are epidemic in FN communities whereby the number of individuals aged 55-64 reporting three or more chronic conditions is 3.5 times higher than non-First Nations people [2] and 45% of the 65+ population report fair/poor health with 69% having activity limitations [2]. Thus, onset of frailty occurs at a much younger age and the burden of morbidity among older Indigenous persons with dementia results in substantial caregiver burden. Diverse community contexts, complex relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians, and continued colonial policies governing access to services, all present significant challenges to empowering communities [3]. The purpose of this proposal is to engage local integrated Knowledge Translation (iKT) teams to develop, evaluate and implement care models that empower caregivers and communities to support people living with multiple chronic conditions (MCC) and cognitive decline including dementia. Our goal is to address the unmet needs of Indigenous persons living with or at risk for dementia, and to support their families and communities to reduce caregiver burden. The goal is to build a legacy through partnership with FN communities to empower and support research-based, community-identified strategies that combine Indigenous practices with Western technologies to support aging in place in FN communities.