Climate change is an increasingly important public health issue, reflected in morbidity and mortality outcomes during extreme heat events. At the same time, the harms of social isolation with respect to a wide range of health outcomes are becoming better understood. Given that older adults are at higher risk during hot weather and at higher risk of social isolation, they are among those at highest risk for adverse impacts of extreme heat events. While specific strategies to reduce heat exposure have been described in the literature and promoted in public health practice, these may not be readily available to socially isolated older adults. As such, it is crucial to identify key approaches to address risk due to social isolation in the aging population, and to acknowledge their limitations and barriers. Interventions rooted in social connection, a concept widely applied in interventions for public health and social well-being, should be applied as a tool for adaptation to extreme heat events. RésuméLe changement climatique est un problème de santé publique de plus en plus important, qui se reflète dans les résultats de la morbidité et de la mortalité lors des épisodes de chaleur extrême. Au même temps, les mals de l'isolement social en ce qui concerne un large éventail de résultats pour la santé sont de mieux en mieux compris. Étant donné que les personnes âgées sont plus à risque durant les temps chaud et à risque d'isolement social, elles font partie des personnes les plus exposées aux effets négatifs d'événements de chaleur extrême. Bien que des stratégies spécifiques pour réduire l'exposition à la chaleur aient été décrites dans la littérature et promues dans la pratique de la santé publique, elles peuvent ne pas être facilement accessibles aux personnes âgées socialement isolées. Comme tel, il est essentiel d'identifier les approches clés pour réduire les risques dus à l'isolement social de la population vieillissante et de reconnaître leurs limites et obstacles. Les interventions enracinées dans la connexion sociale, un concept largement appliqué dans les interventions pour la santé publique et le bien-être social, devraient être appliquées comme un outil d'adaptation aux événements de chaleur extreme.

Despite the availability of prevention and treatment services, the ongoing process of colonization has significantly contributed to disproportionate rates of HIV, hepatitis C (HCV), and HIV/HCV coinfection among Indigenous peoples. This inequity highlights a deficit in health care's ability to provide effective and culturally relevant services. Indigenous peoples have used land-based cultural practices to promote wellness since time immemorial, yet they have rarely been evaluated as health interventions. Given the severity of these health inequities, it is imperative that gaps in research and services be addressed quickly and in “good way,” whereby the research undertaken is a sacred endeavor that is connected to ceremony and ancestral wisdom and contributes to healing. Land-based cultural-wellness retreats represent a fruitful path toward wholistic wellness and decolonization. The purpose of this review is to understand the theoretical utility of and wise practices for conducting land-based cultural-wellness retreats for Indigenous peoples with HIV, HCV, or both.