Europe's aging population needs sustainable health and social care services that prioritize healthy aging. However, current frameworks often overlook cultural contexts, especially in diverse populations like Indigenous communities.
In Sámi and Inuit communities, health is viewed holistically, encompassing physical, mental, social, cultural, and community aspects. Collaboration with Indigenous communities is important for developing effective digital health tools. Adapting existing frameworks and tools to incorporate the cultural perspectives of Indigenous elders in Europe needs more attention.
Our research aims to promote sustainable health and wellbeing in elderly Sámi and Inuit population (aged 65 years and older) in Norway, Sweden, and Greenland by developing culturally tailored digital health tools in Indigenous and Scandinavian languages. We will involve Sámi and Inuit elders in four key steps: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. Discover phase: we will both analyze existing data and gain insights on health, characteristics and views on healthy aging in sharing circles. Define phase: we will together with the Indigenous community identify their specific challenges and needs related to healthy aging. Develop phase: Together with the Indigenous communities we will co-create a map of key themes related to healthy aging and work with participants to develop a prototype. Deliver phase: we will prototype a culturally adjusted digital health tool to facilitate self-management of health, prevention of ill health, and thus contribute to promoting healthy aging of Sámi and Inuit elders.
We will use an iterative co-design process, based on data-driven research and community sharing circles, to develop a digital health tool that aligns with the culture, values, and needs of Indigenous elders and their communities. This project aims to improve healthcare services for Sami and Inuit populations in line with SDG 3 and 10, UN Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention 169, and UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The project will also facilitate collaboration and knowledge-sharing across countries, benefiting Indigenous communities, healthcare practitioners, and policymakers in the Nordic region. Our goal is to build capacity in rural Indigenous areas and promote sustainable development (SDG 17) through shared resources and co-design processes.