The Caring for Indigenous Older Adults e-module was developed in partnership with local Indigenous Peoples and health service providers as part of the WWOAC workplan. The local context, stories and voices create a foundation to guide us in enhancing services for Indigenous Peoples across Waterloo Wellington.

 As one Indigenous Health service provider working at Hospice noted: “It’s the best module on Indigenous health I have taken to date.” Training to enhance Indigenous Health is a major part of the TRC calls to action and is named as a goal for many organizations, including partners in GWOHT and those under SAA agreements. Imagine all providers having a common, localized foundation to support consistency in approach and build the trust that Indigenous communities need to engage safely with services.

Examples of organizations that have uploaded onto their LMS or had staff take the module: WHRN, GGH, Hospice Wellington, Hospice Waterloo, Groves, local primary care health teams, SJHC

 Module breakdown:

• Education on local Indigenous Peoples (including photographs, stories and voice recordings),
• Local histories
• Explanations of important social and distal determinants of health that impact Indigenous Peoples’ overall wellbeing.
• Case study with interactive opportunities to practice and develop tangible skills for engaging with Indigenous community members.
• Downloadable how-to resources to assist with building relationships and creating organizational plans that address care in relation to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) calls to action.
• Please note that while the focus in building the module was older adults, Indigenous ways and the foundational nature of the module mean that it largely applies to all ages and stages.
• 1.5 hours to complete, which can be done in multiple sittings at your convenience (for instance three 20-minute sessions); your spot will be saved for you to return to it whenever you pause or log out.
• Voice over option
• You can either read the module or click
• Many additional resources included for further learning throughout