Frontiers | Aging Well for Indigenous Peoples: A Scoping Review

As life expectancy increases for Indigenous populations, so does the number of older adults with complex, chronic health conditions and age-related geriatric syndromes. Many of these conditions are associated with modifiable lifestyle factors that, if addressed, may improve the health and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples as they age. If models of healthy ageing are to be promoted within health services, a clearer understanding of what ageing well means for Indigenous peoples is needed. Indigenous peoples hold a holistic worldview of health and ageing that likely differs from Western models. The aims of this review were to: investigate the literature that exists and where the gaps are, on ageing well for Indigenous peoples; assess the quality of the existing literature on Indigenous ageing; identify the domains of ageing well for Indigenous peoples; and identify the enablers and barriers to ageing well for Indigenous peoples. A systematic search of online databases, book chapters, grey literature, and websites identified 32 eligible publications on Indigenous ageing. Reflexive thematic analysis identified four major themes on ageing well: 1) achieving holistic health and wellbeing; 2) maintaining connections; 3) revealing resilience, humour, and a positive attitude; and 4) facing the challenges. Findings revealed that ageing well is a holistic concept enabled by spiritual, physical, and mental wellbeing and where reliance on connections to person, place, and culture is central. Participants who demonstrated ageing well took personal responsibility, adapted to change, took a positive attitude to life, and showed resilience. Conversely, barriers to ageing well arose from the social determinants of health, such as lack of access to housing, transport, and adequate nutrition. Furthermore, the impacts of colonisation such as loss of language and culture and ongoing grief and trauma all challenged the ability to age well. Knowing what ageing well means for Indigenous communities can facilitate health services to provide culturally appropriate and effective care.

Related Keywords

Bangladesh ,Torres Strait ,00 ,Australia ,New York ,United States ,United Kingdom ,Bristol Bay ,Alaska ,Timbery ,New South Wales ,Iran ,Maori ,New Zealand General ,New Zealand ,California ,Suphan ,Samut Sakhon ,Thailand ,Kempsey ,Toronto ,Ontario ,Canada ,Adelaide ,South Australia ,Canberra ,Australian Capital Territory ,Mossel ,Kopparberg ,Sweden ,Sydney ,Geneva ,Genè ,Switzerland ,Ecuador ,Chile ,Papua New Guinea ,Bellingen ,Hawaii ,Americans ,America ,Australian ,Swedish ,Canadian ,Australians ,Thai ,Britain ,Iranian ,Canadians ,Hawaiian ,American ,Archiv Gerontol Geriatr ,Yupik Cupik ,Jung Kim ,Edwardsw Taupaenuit ,Favelm Marie ,Craigk Moreton ,Jackson Pulver ,Austral Instit Health Welfare Canberra ,Pantheon Books ,World Health Report Background Paper ,Popul Health Metr ,Lowitja Institute ,Clarkw Indigenous Health Australia ,Neuroscience Research Australia ,Population Health ,Mcmaster University ,J Public Health ,Health Care Poor Underserved ,World Health Organization ,Australian Institute Of Health Welfare ,Health Info Net ,United Nations ,Qualitat Res Sport Exerc Health ,Qual Health Res ,Health Info Libr ,Health Rep ,Holistic Health ,Emcare ,Intj Circumpolar Health ,Australia Health Series ,Health Servic Res ,Indigenous Health Australia ,Centre For Aboriginal Health Research ,University Of Victoria ,A Challenge For Public Health ,Australian Bureau Of Statistics ,Psychol Health ,James Cook University ,Intj Environ Res Public Health ,Microsoft ,Intj Qual Stud Health ,Austn Zj Public Health ,Health Psychol ,College Of Medicine ,Joanna Briggs Institute ,Health For Us ,Services Have To Be The Right ,Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer Manual ,Massey University ,Health Expectat ,Australian Institute Of Aboriginal ,Health Psychol Behav ,Health Of Indigenous Peoples ,Far North Queensland ,Papua New ,Torres Strait Islanders ,Northern Peninsula Area ,Torres Strait Islander ,First Nation ,Early Torres Strait ,North American ,Quality Assessment Tool ,Diverse Designs ,Scoping Reviews ,World Wide Web ,Australian Institute ,Torres Strait Islander Studies ,First Nations ,Alaska Natives ,Microsoft Excel ,Native Hawaiian ,American Indian ,Stress Relief When Out ,Look Out ,Not About ,About Knowledge ,Lucky We Can Laugh ,Have Just ,Who You ,For Indigenous ,North America ,Indigenous North American ,Australian Aboriginal ,Strait Islander ,Pacific Islands ,James Cook ,Med Abstract ,Crossref Full Text ,World Report ,Chronic Disease ,Aboriginal Peoples ,Public Health ,Aboriginal Health Research ,American Indians ,Health Australia ,Aotearoa New Zealand ,Future That Embraces Health ,Gelders Final ,Health Series ,Torres Strait Islander Australians ,Intj Aging Hum ,Northern Okinawan ,Cross Cult ,Healthy Ageing ,Canadian Longitudinal Study ,Nation Elder ,Austn Zj Public ,Instit Health Welfare ,North American Older Indigenous ,Gerontol Psychol Sci Soc ,Joanna Briggs ,Eval Clin ,Indigenous Peoples ,Info Libr ,Anthropol Aging ,Cross Cultur ,Intj Circumpolar ,Did Listen ,Alaska Native Elders ,Ann Arbor ,Proquest Dissertations ,Canadian Inuit ,Maori Positive ,Palmerston North ,Psychol Behav ,Equal Health ,Psychol Dev Soc ,Alaska Native ,Intj Aging ,Understanding Aging ,First Nations Communities ,Manitoulin Island ,Aboriginal People Talk About Their Ageing ,Moreton Consulting ,Indigenous Australian ,Occup Ther ,Res Sport Exerc ,Malmgren Fange ,Health Care Poor ,Aboriginal Australians ,Indigenous ,Ageing ,Indigenous Health ,Indigenous Wellbeing ,Ndigenous Older Adults ,Scoping Review ,