Research led by The University of Western Australia to develop community-informed resources for culturally responsive and respectful dementia healthcare for Indigenous populations has received a Federal funding boost.
An Australian-Canadian research team received a $3 million grant under the 2024 NHMRC-Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA): Indigenous Health Research grant program.
Image: Associate Professor Kate Smith.
Associate Professor Kate Smith, from UWA's Medical School, will lead the project to enhance health communication for Indigenous peoples during a dementia assessment.
"Elders are the integral knowledge holders for community," Associate Professor Smith said.
"This collaboration builds on a long-standing highly productive partnership between Canadian and Australian Indigenous researchers in Elders' brain health."
Associate Professor Smith, Aboriginal Elders and partners will collaborate with the University of Alberta and Canada's Métis Elders to develop community-informed resources incorporating Indigenous knowledge systems to enhance the accessibility and quality of health care, enabling better health and quality of life outcomes for Indigenous peoples internationally.
"There is an urgent need for the development of communication and culturally safe practice resources for health professionals working with older Indigenous peoples and families through the dementia healthcare journey," Associate Professor Smith said.
"This study will also provide much needed support for our UWA Indigenous postgraduate and early career researchers to build connections with Canadian Indigenous researchers and knowledge holders in this field."
The collaborative grant opportunity was developed through CCNA, which is Canada's national consortium for research involving neurodegenerative diseases that affect cognition in ageing, including Alzheimer's disease.
Composed of 13 institutes, CIHR is Canada's federal funding agency for health research aims to create new scientific knowledge and enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system.
