A Discourse Analysis of Cultural Influences on Alaska Native Successful Aging.

Geographical remoteness, limited resources, and socioeconomic disparities contribute to the migration of rural Alaska Native Elders to urban areas to access medical services and resources, improve economic situations, or reunite with family. We compared the discourse of 12 Elders in Anchorage who previously lived in four remote traditional villages in the Norton Sound region (ages 60-84) and 13 Elders in those villages (ages 48-80). Using Gee's discourse analysis framework, two patterns emerged detailing cultural effects on identity and Eldership, illuminating differences in the self-evaluation of successful aging based on cultural influences and the role of contextual factors.

Health and Well-being of Family ('Ohana) Caregivers of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Adults Living with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.

Introduction: We aimed to describe the health and well-being of family caregivers of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) adults living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), explore cultural values related to caregiving, and characterize barriers and facilitators to their health and well-being.

Methodology: Caregivers of NHPIs living with ADRD were recruited from across the United States to complete a multimethod study including a survey followed by an interview about their health and well-being.

Results: Eleven participants completed surveys, six of whom completed an interview.

Generativity as a Traditional Way of Life: Successful aging among Unangan Elders in the Aleutian Pribilof Islands.

Predominantly Western-based biomedical models of successful aging have been used to research, understand, and explain successful aging among diverse populations. With an increasingly heterogeneous older adult population nationwide, scholars have been exploring Indigenous understandings of successful aging. To add to the accumulation of knowledge of diverse Alaska Native populations, this study involved semi-structured qualitative interviews with 20 Unangan Elders from the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands.

Protective Factors in the Context of Successful Aging in Urban-Dwelling Alaska Native Elders.

Successful aging in rural Alaska communities has been established as a characteristic best described by reaching "Eldership," conveying reverence and respect from the community and implying leadership responsibilities. Most Alaska Native (AN) Elders believe that aging successfully or aging well happens within their home communities. However, limited rural resources lead Elders to relocate to urban settings.

Indigenous Elder-centered methodology: research that decolonizes and indigenizes.

Indigenous research posits that practice-based evidence is fundamental to culturally grounded, multifaceted methods. The objective is to outline the key tenets and characteristics of Elder-centered research and relevant methodology using an interconnected progression of Alaska Native studies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Alaska Native Elders, 21 Alaska Native caregivers, and 12 Alaska Native and non-Native caregivers in two studies exploring cultural understandings of memory and successful aging.

Cyclical Migration in Alaska Native Elders and Its Impact on Elders' Identity and Later Life Well-Being.

Objectives: This paper outlines the unique culturally driven cyclical migration of Alaska Native (AN) Elders, distinct from previously described migration patterns in that Elders spend extended time in more than one community. We describe this Indigenous cyclical migration of AN Elders and its influence on their identity and later life health and well-being.

Methods: Interviews with 124 AN Elders were conducted across 5 regions of Alaska: Bristol Bay, Interior, Norton Sound, Aleutian Pribilof Islands, and Southcentral.

native successful ageing in Northwest : how family impacts how one ages in a good way.

aged well, yet today they experience high rates of illness and lower access to care because of colonisation. Aand this research explores successful ageing from an AN perspective or what it means to achieve "Eldership" in the rural Northwest Alaska. A community-based participatory research approach was used to engage participants at every stage of the research process.

Positive Psychological Assessment and Early-Stage Dementia.

Objectives: There are no known positive psychological (PP) measures adapted/validated for use with people in the early stages of dementia. Objectives were to: (1) develop/pilot an accessible protocol for administering PP measures in this population; (2) examine their psychometric properties; and (3) provide preliminary observations about how people with early-stage dementia perceive various aspects of PP as it pertains to living with dementia.

Methods: Five PP measures were adapted/administered to 36 people with early-stage dementia.