Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Community-based caregiving is an essential source of support for adults living with chronic illnesses like cancer. Although there is a robust literature on caregivers' experiences of caring for someone with cancer, low priority has been given to how caregiving relates to culture-the expressions, values, and practices of caregiving within different ethnic groups. In particular, there is very little understanding of experiences of Indigenous peoples who provide care to others with cancer in their communities. The current community-based, arts-based project explored the experiences of caregivers within the Mohawk community of Kahnawake near Montreal, QC. Six caregivers participated in the creation of their own digital story, which brings together images, oral storytelling, and music to help people understand what it is like and what is at stake when caring for people with cancer in First Nations communities. The purpose of this study was to explore the culture of caregiving within First Nations communities, in particular: 1) The experiences of both informal (e.g., family members, friends) and formal (e.g., health professional) caregivers who support cancer survivors within First Nations communities. 2) Caregivers' resources, needs, and potential gaps in their support. 3) Digital stories of caregivers' experiences as a dissemination tool. Analyses of the stories and the digital storytelling process highlight the importance of spirituality, community relationships and engagement, and processing grief for caregivers to maintain their role as well as their own well-being. This project builds upon the learnings from a parent photovoice project on the cancer experiences of First Nations and Métis peoples across Canada, which indicated a widespread lack of support for their caregivers. The current project is funded by the CIHR Institute for Indigenous People's Health.