Dementia is a neurological impairment characterized by a decline in memory and other cognitive abilities. As a major public health concern, officials have categorized dementia as a new epidemic. Memory loss acutely appears to be of increasing concern for Indigenous people, for whom respect and care for the elderly are built into the fabric of their communities. However, few have observed the experiences and conceptions of dementia within Indigenous contexts. Accordingly, this project asks how Indigenous people come to experience and understand the changes associated with aging and neurological impairment? How is Indigenous understanding of memory loss affected by socioeconomic constraints, and different cultural perspectives of age and memory? In addition to providing funding for the training of a graduate student in anthropology in scientific methods, this award will enable findings to be shared with Indigenous communities, health professionals, academics, governmental, and non-governmental institutions invested in improving health disparities of Indigenous people. The project also broadens the participation of groups underrepresented in science.
Through a combination of participant observation, and semi-structured interviews with family members of dementia patients, medical professionals and intermediaries, and document analysis, the investigators will examine how dementia is locally constructed in Indigenous communities. Specifically, they will examine how Indigenous women negotiate local understandings of dementia and care for their elderly within emerging medical dementia frameworks outlined by the state. This project seeks to contribute to a growing body of accessible public knowledge on practices and policies that target healthcare practices among Indigenous people. A better understanding of the social construction of dementia can provide a backdrop for wide-ranging implications to address dementia care, policies, and research.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
