Project Title: A Community-based Approach to Exploring Brain Injury from an Aboriginal Perspective

Research Team:
Keightley, M.L.
Colantonio, A.
Cameron, A.
Katt, M.
Longboat-White, C.
Minore, B.
White, R.

There is little research published on brain injuries among Aboriginal communities in Canada. Funded by M-THAC, our objective was to explore current challenges faced by health care practitioners in Northwestern Ontario regarding Aboriginal clients with brain injury and the use of traditional healing approaches during recovery.

Our methods involved 14 in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted and analyzed using the Framework method. The respondents were health care practitioners and Aboriginal paraprofessionals who were recruited based on their location, profession and experience with brain injury among Aboriginal clients. The challenges of brain injury care and recovery were examined using the perspectives of respondents.

Most respondents tended to focus on the challenges faced by Aboriginal clients living in reserves or remote communities. Five main themes emerged and challenges within these themes were identified. A key challenge was that protocols for rehabilitation and discharge planning are often lacking for clients living in reserves or remote communities. Other challenges related to the lack of social support, difficulty of travel and socio-cultural factors associated with seeking post-acute care outside of communities, the importance of concurrent disorders, the lack of FASD diagnostic services and brain injury services for children and youth and the service gaps for causes which disproportionately affect Aboriginal communities (solvent abuse and hanging-induced anoxia) which has implications for prevention, services and use of traditional methods.

The respondents' accounts suggest that the coordination of specific protocols for the care, rehabilitation and discharge planning of Aboriginal clients living in reserves and remote communities should be considered a priority within the current health-planning environment.

Selected Presentations:

• Keightley, M.L., Colantonio, A., Minore, B., Katt, M., Cameron, A., White, R., & Longboat-White, C. A Community-Based Approach to Exploring Brain Injury from an  Aboriginal Perspective: Engaging Health Care Practitioners. Poster presentation at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Research Day, Toronto, Ontario, November 29, 2006.

• Keightley, M.L. Colantonio, A., Minore, B., Katt, M., Cameron, A., White, R., & Longboat-White, C. A Community-Based Approach to Exploring Brain Injury from an Aboriginal Perspective. Poster presentation at the Canadian Public Health Association's Annual Conference: What Determines the Public's Health? Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, May 30, 2006.

• Keightley, M.L. (2005). Exploring Brain Injury from a First Nations Perspective. Oral presentation at "The Voices Continue to Speak" National Student ACADRE Conference First Nations University of Canada, Regina, SK. August 2005.

• A poster on this project was presented at the 2007 M-THAC/Team Symposium, Moving Care From Hospital To Community: Selected Policy and Service Implications Symposium.