The work for Focus Area 2 includes two phases:

 

1. A review of relevant existing cognitive assessments, tools and approaches by our team and a review of selected measures and approaches with Indigenous key informants or health professionals who work closely with First Nations on Manitoulin Island; and

2. Creating or adapting a cognitive assessment tool and then piloting and evaluating it with our partners using findings from Phase 1.

 

We are currently in Phase 2, and are piloting the questions we will use for the newly named tool, the Canadian Indigenous Cognitive Assessment. The next phase is reliability testing, which will be followed by validation.

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Partners include:

 

• Wikwemikong Health Centre

• Noojmowin Teg

• M’Chigeeng Health Centre

• Mnaamodzawin Health Services

• Other local community health centres

• Health Sciences North Research Institute

• Geriatricians servicing the area

• Workers from the Alzheimer's Society Ontario

• Program managers at First Nations Inuit Health Home and Community Care

• Relevant staff at the Chiefs of Ontario.

 

This research will provide a foundation for longer term research to accurately assess the epidemiological profile of dementia in Indigenous populations. We see this project as foundational to the development of other appropriate measures related to dementia screening such as depression and anxiety scales and measures to detect early stages of dementia in those diagnosed with co-morbid conditions.

 

Our Project Elders and our local community advisory group are guiding this work. We will provide annual updates to the communities and Health Organizations through community newsletters, community research days/conferences and updates to health committees and Band councils.  This project will be complete in April of 2019.

 

International Collaboration on the Development of the KICA

 

The Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA) is an Indigenous screening tool that was developed for Aboriginal people in the Kimberley region of Australia. The KICA is a cognitive instrument developed specifically to address the gap in the availability of culturally appropriate assessment tools for older Indigenous people residing in Australia.

 

The Australian research group who have developed the KICA are meeting with us regularly to provide support, assistance and validation for our adaptation and use of the tool in Ontario.