Supporting healthcare providers in Indigenous Communities in Alberta

The Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence is supporting researchers at the University of Alberta to learn about current barriers and opportunities for supporting Indigenous family caregivers.

The research team interviewed caregivers, health and community care providers and leaders in the Samson Cree Nation and Enoch Communities in Alberta to develop an understanding of the current barriers to supporting Indigenous caregivers.

Research Highlights:

• Challenges faced by Indigenous caregivers include difficulty navigating systems, delayed assessment and treatment, disconnected health records, and racism.
• Caregivers indicated that they felt that their needs and well-being are not prioritized in current policy or programs and experienced challenges working with the many levels of government to access programs and services in the community.
• Social determinants of health such as poverty, housing, safe water, and lack of trust in the system make caregiving more difficult for caregivers.

Recommendations:

• Meaningful holistic system change is needed to support Indigenous caregivers.
• Caregivers need to be recognized for their role and provided with culturally safe care, improvements in home care support and respite, enhanced navigation support and timely access to services.
• Care providers require a comprehensive grounding in cultural awareness, improved orientation, and support for their health and wellbeing.  

Related resources:

• Three Perspectives on the Experience of Support for Family Caregivers in First Nations Communities
• Supporting First Nations Family Caregivers and Providers: Family Caregivers’, Health and Community Providers’, and Leaders’ Recommendations