Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 3, 1 March 2014 — Indigenous peoples and aging [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Indigenous peoples and aging

Trustee's note: This eolumn was contributed by Mervina Cash-Kaeo, who attended the symposium on aging hosted by the Gerontological Societv of Amenea in November. What role does unique cultural knowledge, experienc es and beliefs play in the aging life course among indigenous peoples? Under-

standing the role of culture, experience and behefs is eomplicated by the laek of routine data eolleehon among indigenous populations and the difficulty in obtaining and using the little information that is available. On Nov. 23, 2013, the Gerontological Society of America (GS A), the oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education and practice in the field of aging, hosted a symposium entitled Opiimal Aging anel Evidence-Based Research in Indigenous Populations. This symposium brought together leading indigenous researchers and service providers to discuss traditional resources for understanding and conducting small population analysis. The symposium focused on innovative approaches to overeome geographic isolation and cultural barriers that often result in indigenous populations being left out of many studies of health, aging and socioeconomic status. The presenters included Mervina Cash-Kaeo from ALU LIKE ine., who presented Native Hawaiian Kūpuna; Dr. Turner Goins from Western Carolina University, who presented on the Frailty among older American Indians, and Drs. Mere Kepa and Lorna Dyall whose seven Tupuna from Aotearoa presented Te Kaumatuatanga: Indigenous Ageing in Advances Age in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The presentation on Native Hawaiian Kūpuna was well received with participants intrigued by the finding that transportation, legal assistance, case management, friendly visits and home therapy remained the top "desired services" over a 12-year period. Mervina explained how geographic isolation and the laek of islandwide puhlie transportation on the neighbor islands made it

difficult for kūpuna to travel to the grocery store, to their doctors' appointments or to piek up their prescriptions. When asked, "What is a friendly visit?" she explained ALU LIKE's protoeol that requires staff to eall or visit kūpuna on a periodic basis to make sure they are in good health. She added that this was especially important for kūpuna who fail to show up for program services.

The Optimal Aging and Evidence-Based Research in Indigenous Populations symposium provided both the panel and attendees an opportunity to meet, learn and network with other indigenous researchers and professional on indigenous peoples and aging. This symposium resulted in a joint resolution to propose the first GSA Special Interest Group on "Indigenous Populations and Aging." Five individuals have agreed to be the first conveners for this special interest group. They are Mervina Cash-Kaeo, JD from ALU LIKE ine. (Native Hawaiian); Turner Goins, Ph.D., from Western Carolina University (American Indian); Mere Kepa, Ph.D., from the University of Auckland, New Zealand (Maori); Jordan Lewis, Ph.D., from the University of Washington (Aluet) and Dr. Sela Panapasa from the University of Michigan (Paeihe Islander). Establishing this first long overdue special interest group on Indigenous Populations and Aging, will provide a needed platform to foster the development, discussion and dissemination of rigorous theoretical work on indigenous aging via papers and symposia at Annual GSA Scientific meetings and other related events. For Native Hawaiians, this represents a unique opportunity to educate the puhlie about issues that affect our Native Hawaiian kūpuna and provide support for students who are interested in training and careers in gerontology. According to the 2010 Census, there are 50,95 1 Native Hawaiian kūpuna age 60 years and older of whieh 62 percent reside in Hawai'i. With the size of the kūpuna population expected to grow, attention to their needs and the capacity to provide proper care is warranted. 15/48 ■

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