“Place-ing” Dementia Prevention and Care in NunatuKavut, Labrador

Abstract

RÉSUMÉLe vieillissement de la population autochtone du Canada a mis en évidence l’importance du milieu de vie et de la culture sur la santé et la résilience dans le parcours de vie. La présente étude expose les résultats d’un projet Photovoix portant sur les expériences des Inuits du Sud lors de transitions associées au troisième âge et à la démence au NunatuKavut (Labrador). Dans cette région, la culture et l’environnement naturel occupent une place prépondérante dans les descriptions des activités de promotion de la santé et des trajectoires de soins. Ces facteurs peuvent contribuer au vieillissement en santé, offrir une protection contre le déclin cognitif et favoriser le maintien de l’identité des personnes atteintes de démence. Or, les modes de vie ancrés dans la terre ancestrale font l’objet de fortes pressions. Ces pressions affectent les perspectives des aînés Inuits du Sud de vieillir et d’être soignés « dans leur milieu ». Les résultats de cette recherche reflètent la nécessité d’élaborer des approches de soutien pour les aînés Inuits du Sud désirant vieillir dans leur milieu, en considérant les conceptions culturelles de la personne et les politiques et programmes qui promeuvent l’engagement envers la nature et la culture.

Life Course Nature Exposure and Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Future Directions

“…Consistent with our findings, qualitative studies have also supported the mental health benefits of nature exposure across childhood [ 71 ], adolescence [ 72 ], adulthood [ 73 ], and later adulthood [ 74 ]. In particular, both quantitative and qualitative studies have consistently highlighted formative childhood experiences related to nature; for example, the majority of adult interviewees in Winnipeg, Canada described formative childhood experiences related to gardening [ 71 ].…”

“…In addition, participants’ attention and attachment to nature became more important during middle and later adulthood [ 75 ]. For older adults transitioning into later life and dementia care, nature provided grounding in past social and cultural identity, promoted healthy behaviors, and contributed to feelings of connection as a place-based anchor [ 74 ].…”

General population perspectives of dementia risk reduction and the implications for intervention: A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative evidence

“…Participants reported awareness of the general concept of dementia risk reduction [ [81]. In the absence of specific knowledge, some participants directly transferred understanding of behaviours benefiting other physical or mental health conditions [51,60,65,71,73,74,[84][85][86]91], or behaviours that generate feelings of "a clear mind" [45,81]. Similarly, many participants reported knowledge about interactions between genetic and lifestyle risk but they often assumed simple genetic inheritance [59,68,69,77,80,83,91].…”

“…They were often aware of deficiencies and sought access to relevant supports, such as one participant who felt access to feedback was important "to see where I stand, what I am able to do, what is required from me" [55]. Help to anticipate and monitor the target behaviours and their benefits [52,55,56,71,72,75], or to effectively plan activities and navigate barriers [48,52,53,55,56,63,[70][71][72][73][74][75], were commonly described as useful. However, many individuals also disliked self-regulatory supports when they didn't feel they were needed [56,63,70].…”

“…Participant accounts emphasised that existing cognitive problems, physical comorbidities or disabilities, and deficient technical skills (particularly for technology-based interventions) all diminished self-efficacy. This often specifically included low confidence in self-regulatory capacities [46,48,55,56,67,[70][71][72][73]90]. However, some participants reported that access to supports for regulatory skills without feeling pressured into something they felt they were not capable of improved "confidence" and helped them feel they were "taking charge" [48,51,56,70,72,78].…”