Indigenous Elders face considerable barriers to receiving culturally appropriate care, and their caregivers often experience severe financial, social, and health strains. The Indigenous Caregiver Support Model (ICSM) is a strengths-based, home-based, culturally informed, and culturally safe approach to care that wraps around the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social health and wellness needs of Indigenous caregivers and their aging loved ones who are homebound. Following a successful pilot, we aim to expand the ICSM program to meet the needs of underserved Elders and their caregivers in urban Chilliwack.
The implementation plan proposes equitable ICSM program delivery and scale-out, extensive engagement activities, integration of wholistic health and wellness indicators, and a budget primarily dedicated to caregiver stipends. The evaluation plan centres on the lived experiences of First Nations and Métis Elders and their caregivers, and seeks to uphold cultural safety and ensure relevance to community and partners. We aim to honour Elders’ wholistic needs and recognize their caregivers’ essential role in fostering aging in place, strengthening intergenerational connectedness, and promoting community wellness.
Keywords: Indigenous Health, Aging, Mental Health, Prevention
Team members:
- David Zamar
- Amanda LaBoucane (Primary Applicant Co-Lead and Executive Sponsor)
- Margo Pearce (Evaluation Co-Lead)
- Carol Peters
- Lazar Cuk
- Ryan Stone
- Atussa Behnam-Shabahang
- Brian Muth
- Jacqueline Watts
- Jade Wierks
- Yena Kim
- Carrie Mastin
- Rebecca Lundin
- Carter Lafontaine
- Samantha Pollard