Diversity and Inclusion Digital Calendar
Resource Topic: Indigenous
Embracing Diversity Toolkit
Indigenous Culture Card – London and Middlesex
The following resource was not created by the Ontario CLRI and was identified by the Ontario Caring Advisory Circle as an important resource to support Indigenous Culture in LTC.
This guide was developed by Healthy Weights Connection (Western University) and London’s Child and Youth Network in response to overwhelming interest expressed by service providers in London and Middlesex County to learn more about First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) cultures and local communities. It has been adapted from a similar cultural awareness resource developed by the Barrie Area Native Advisory Circle (BANAC).
The content of this guide was informed by members of the local FNMI community in London and Middlesex through several engagement sessions. The purpose of the guide is to serve as a first step towards cultural competence and to help service providers learn more about FNMI history, the local cultures and how to work competently and sensitively with FNMI communities. For those interested in formal training, Indigenous Cultural Competency and Cultural Safety training are recommended.
Palliative Care Toolkit for Indigenous Communities
About the Toolkit
The Palliative Care Toolkit for Indigenous Communities was created by Cancer Care Ontario in collaboration with First Nations, Métis and Inuit families and communities. It includes:
- First Nations, Inuit and Métis definitions of palliative care
- Personal stories and other resources to help First Nations, Inuit and Métis families and communities develop capacity in palliative care, and cope with grief and loss
- Information to support decision-making and planning for Indigenous people living with advanced cancer
- Information to help care partners care for community members living with advanced cancer
This program has been identified as a resource that supports Indigenous culture in long-term care by the Ontario Caring Advisory Circle.
The Four Sacred Medicines
Description
This pamphlet from Anishnawbe Health Toronto provides information on the four sacred medicines: tobacco, sage, cedar, and sweetgrass, including what each medicine may be used for, and how to take care of the medicines.
This pamphlet has been identified as a resource that supports Indigenous culture in long-term care by the Ontario Caring Advisory Circle.
Developing Culturally Grounded Dementia Educational Materials for Indigenous Community-Based Care
About this Webinar
This webinar outlines the development of six culturally relevant fact sheets on dementia and dementia care that can be used by Indigenous family caregivers, health care providers, as well as other organizations interested in the promotion of dementia awareness and care in Indigenous communities. The fact sheets bridge essential biomedical knowledge deemed important to convey and Indigenous understandings and explanatory models of the illness. The development of culturally appropriate health promotion materials for Indigenous communities is not simply a cut and paste process where mainstream materials are adapted through changes to imagery but not meaning. Rather, the production of culturally-based materials requires grounding in Indigenous knowledge of specific illnesses and community based models of care.
This integrated webinar event is brought to you by brainXchange in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Canada and the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA).
This webinar has been identified as a resource that supports Indigenous culture in long-term care by the Ontario Caring Advisory Circle.
Ontario Caring Advisory Circle
About the Circle
The Ontario Caring Advisory Circle (OCAC) guided the identification and development of culturally appropriate resources to support Indigenous residents in long-term care homes between April 2018 and March 2020. Membership of the OCAC was comprised of up to 11 members with wisdom and expertise in long-term care and Indigenous culture. Members were a mix from northern and southern regions of Ontario.
The OCAC created a five-pillar approach to their terms of reference. These five pillars formed the foundation of the work and represented the commitment, interest, and duties of the advisors.
Pillar One – Ensuring a cultural lens in all Ontario CLRI activities
Pillar Two – Identifying resources to fill gaps
Pillar Three – Ideas for education and training
Pillar Four – Identifying research projects
Pillar Five – Guidance for stakeholder outreach
History
The initial gathering of the OCAC took place on April 24, 2018 at the Toronto Birth Centre. At this gathering, the OCAC came together to plan their shared vision for the work ahead. Through process and spirit, the group’s terms of reference were birthed. The OCAC met several times a year via video/teleconference or face-to-face.
Since culturally appropriate imagery is important to the OCAC, the names of Indigenous artists living in Ontario were put into a hat during the October 24, 2018 face-to-face gathering at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. Robert Kakegamic’s name was drawn and he was contacted to design and paint the OCAC’s logo to represent their spirit. Robert continues the Woodland School of Art tradition while including cultural values and old legends in vivid colours as part of the new way of presenting and expressing Indigenous identity. Robert lives in Sandy Lake, Ontario, a Swampy Cree-Ojibwa First Nations community.
Saint Elizabeth First Nations, Inuit and Métis Program
About the Program
The Saint Elizabeth First Nations, Inuit and Métis Program provides virtual education at no cost to health care providers working in First Nation communities. Their national knowledge exchange network includes online courses, webinars, community forums and 24/7 access to peers and experts. They also partner with communities and organizations to better understand gaps and barriers to care and support improvements through action-based research.
This program has been identified as a resource that supports Indigenous culture in long-term care by the Ontario Caring Advisory Circle.
Ontario Indigenous Cultural Safety (ICS) Training
Indigenous Cultural Safety (ICS) Training is an interactive and facilitated online training program for all professionals working in the Ontario health and social service systems administered by the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council, who is working in partnership with Indigenous partners in Ontario to develop ICS training that is specific to Ontario.
The training addresses the need for increased Indigenous cultural safety within the system by bringing to light the service provider bias and the legacies of colonization that continue to negatively affect service accessibility and health outcomes for Indigenous people.
Anti-Indigenous racial discrimination and bias have profound negative impacts on the health and wellness of Indigenous communities in Ontario. The Ontario ICS Program is focused on supporting Indigenous Health transformation as part of the overall health and social service systems transformation underway in Ontario. The goal is to improve Indigenous healthcare experiences and outcomes by increasing respect and understanding of the unique history and current realities of Indigenous populations.
This program has been identified as a resource that supports Indigenous culture in long-term care by the Ontario Caring Advisory Circle.
Supporting Diversity and Indigenous Culture in Long-Term Care
About the Presentation
The needs of residents in long-term care can be affected by their gender, language, Indigenous identity, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc. In response to this diversity, the Ontario Centres for Learning Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care (CLRI) are engaging provincial stakeholders to identify and develop education and other resources that support the diversity of residents in long-term care. This presentation shares inspirational stories and resources that can support long-term care homes in their delivery of resident-centered care in a way that acknowledges individual diversity and aligns with Ontario’s Action Plan for Seniors.
This presentation was delivered at the Together We Care Conference on April 20, 2018.