The Accessibility of Healthcare for Indigenous Seniors in Canada
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v13i3.7246Keywords:
Indigenous, Canada, Healthcare Policy, Accessibility, Seniors, Public HealthAbstract
Healthcare is an essential human right that is imperative to one’s survival. However, in Canada, accessibility of healthcare is greatly impaired for Indigenous people, and in particular Indigenous seniors. As such, this paper reviews the status quo of healthcare accessibility for Indigenous seniors in Canada, specifically examining what barriers have led to the lack of accessible healthcare, and what mitigating strategies can be implemented to alleviate the situation. Historically, the rights and culture of Indigenous Canadians have been systematically suppressed, both within and outside of the field of healthcare, leading to severe mistrust in the state and thus the healthcare system. Currently, Indigenous seniors face both tangible barriers including geography, poverty, and poor policy, and more abstract, cultural barriers, such as racism and mistrust, which contribute to lacking healthcare accessibility. To address these barriers, the overarching themes of all solutions include increasing cultural safety practices, investment in rural healthcare resources, and building trust.
Downloads
References or Bibliography
Boyer, Y. (2017). Healing racism in canadian health care. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 189(46). https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.171234
Bradford, L. E., Bharadwaj, L. A., Okpalauwaekwe, U., & Waldner, C. L. (2016). Drinking water quality in indigenous communities in Canada and Health Outcomes: A scoping review. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 75(1), 32336. https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v75.32336
Brooks-Cleator, L., Phillipps, B., & Giles, A. (2018). Culturally safe health initiatives for Indigenous Peoples in Canada: A scoping review. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 50(4), 202–213. https://doi.org/10.1177/0844562118770334
Burnett, K. (2023, November 10). Health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-people-health
Burnett, K., Sanders, C., Halperin, D., & Halperin, S. (2020). Indigenous peoples, Settler colonialism, and access to health care in rural and Northern Ontario. Health & Place, 66, 102445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2020.102445
Canadian Institute for Health Information. (2023, November 2). National Health Expenditure Trends. CIHI. https://www.cihi.ca/en/national-health-expenditure-trends
de Bruin, T. (2021, September 10). Kelowna Accord. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/kelowna-accord
Government of Canada; Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada; (2024, January 16). Indigenous peoples and Communities. https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100013785/1529102490303
Government of Canada; Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. (2024, May 21). Ending long-term drinking water advisories. https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1506514143353/1533317130660
Government of Canada; Indigenous Services Canada. (2023, March 17). Additions to reserve. https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1332267668918/1611930372477
Government of Canada; Indigenous Services Canada. (2024, May 16). About the non-insured health benefits program. https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1576790320164/1576790364553
Habjan, S., Prince, H., & Kelley, M. L. (2012). Caregiving for elders in First Nations communities: Social System Perspective on barriers and challenges. Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue Canadienne Du Vieillissement, 31(2), 209–222. https://doi.org/10.1017/s071498081200013x
Hillier, S., & Al-Shammaa, H. (2020). Indigenous peoples experiences with aging. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 9(4), 146–179. https://doi.org/10.15353/cjds.v9i4.674
Indigenous Primary Health Care Council. (2022, May 13). Study of Administration and Accessibility of Indigenous Peoples to the Non-Insured Benefits Program . OurCommons.ca. https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/441/INAN/Brief/BR11805288/br-external/IndigenousPrimaryHealthCareCouncil-e.pdf
Kim, P. J. (2019). Social Determinants of health inequities in indigenous Canadians through a life course approach to colonialism and the Residential School System. Health Equity, 3(1), 378–381. https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2019.0041
Law, S. (2023, June 19). Sioux Lookout is overflowing with medical patients, prompting opening of a new hostel. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/siouxlookout-firstnations-healthcare-northwesternontario-1.6877589
Lux, M. K. (2010). Care for the ‘racially careless’: Indian hospitals in the Canadian West, 1920–1950s. Canadian Historical Review, 91(3), 407–434. https://doi.org/10.3138/chr.91.3.407
Ministry of Indigenous Relations. (2022, May 2). Indigenous peoples in Ontario. ontario.ca. https://www.ontario.ca/document/spirit-reconciliation-ministry-indigenous-relations-and-reconciliation-first-10-years/indigenous-peoples-ontario
Nguyen, N. H., Subhan, F. B., Williams, K., & Chan, C. B. (2020). Barriers and mitigating strategies to healthcare access in indigenous communities of Canada: A narrative review. Healthcare, 8(2), 112. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8020112
Queen’s University. (n.d.). Elders, knowledge keepers, and cultural advisors. https://www.queensu.ca/indigenous/ways-knowing/elders-knowledge-keepers-and-cultural-advisors
Richmond, C. A., & Cook, C. (2016). Creating conditions for Canadian Aboriginal Health Equity: The promise of healthy public policy. Public Health Reviews, 37(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40985-016-0016-5
Schultz, A., Nguyen, T., Sinclaire, M., Fransoo, R., & McGibbon, E. (2021). Historical and continued colonial impacts on Heart Health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada: What’s reconciliation got to do with it? CJC Open, 3(12). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjco.2021.09.010
Statistics Canada. (2001, June). Seniors in Canada. https://publications.gc.ca/Collection/Statcan/85F0033M/85F0033MIE2001008.pdf
Wahi, G., Wilson, J., Oster, R., Rain, P., Jack, S. M., Gittelsohn, J., Kandasamy, S., de Souza, R. J., Martin, C. L., Toth, E., & Anand, S. S. (2020). Strategies for promoting healthy nutrition and physical activity among young children: Priorities of two indigenous communities in Canada. Current Developments in Nutrition, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzz137
Webb, D., Stutz, S., Hiscock, C., Bowra, A., Butsang, T., Tan, S., Scott-Kay, B., & Mashford-Pringle, A. (2023). Indigenous cultural safety trainings for healthcare professionals working in Ontario, Canada: Context and considerations for Healthcare Institutions. Health Services Insights, 16, 117863292311699. https://doi.org/10.1177/11786329231169939
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2024 Yining Zhang; James Campbell

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright holder(s) granted JSR a perpetual, non-exclusive license to distriute & display this article.