Canada's most vulnerable : Improving health care for First Nations, Inuit and Métis seniors

Many are in poorer physical and seniors must leave their communities and live the rest of their mental health due to the disruption of their way of life caused lives in institutions that are not culturally sensitive or safe, by colonization, particularly the intergenerational effects and often hundreds of miles or more from their communities trauma of the residential school experience.5,7-10 and f [...] There is no funding for palliative/end-of-life care through the If palliative care is not available in communities, culturally safe First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, and Health Canada’s guidelines and environments need to be available for Aboriginal First Nations and Inuit Home and Community Care program seniors who die in health care facilities. [...] In the words of the chair of the First Nations Health Council, “This strong partnership ensures that this is not a ‘dump and run’ administrative arrangement—it’s an arrangement that recognizes that BC First Nations are best positioned to make decisions about the health and wellness of their people, supported and funded by the Government of Canada.” S7 The federal government has indicated that they [...] S14 22 Health Council of Canada Distinct perspectives We heard that Métis seniors often live in rural, remote, or northern communities (many of which are adjacent to First Nations communities) and struggle with many of the same FIRST NATIONS disparities in health determinants and the same health care Participants said that First Nations sovereignty and treaties d challenges that First Nations and [...] The tripartite Memorandum of Understanding on First Nations The largest-scale example of this is in BC, where the self- Health and Well-Being in Saskatchewan is paving the way governing First Nations Health Authority is forming partnerships for improvements in seniors’ care; long-term care is one of and agreements with regional health authorities to ensure the priority areas.