Grant: Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) program

Dementia is a growing health challenge, and Indigenous peoples in Canada are at especially high risk, often developing symptoms earlier and facing barriers to care. One of the earliest warning signs of dementia is a loss of smell, which can appear 10-20 years before memory problems. This project brings together Indigenous communities, cultural knowledge holders, and scientists to create a new, culturally grounded approach to dementia prevention. Together with Indigenous knowledge holders, we will co-develop a program to train Indigenous facilitators in using smell testing and training as culturally grounded tools for brain health. Integrating Indigenous plant knowledge with neuroscience, the program will be evidence-based and culturally grounded. Community members will guide scent selection so that training kits are culturally meaningful, using locally harvested plants where possible. Workshops will be co-delivered with Elders, knowledge keepers, and community leaders to ensure cultural safety and knowledge transfer. The project will roll out in three phases: first, working with communities to select scents and design the program; second, developing training materials and smell kits; and third, piloting the program with Indigenous facilitators. The results will guide a sustainable, community-led model that can be shared widely. Outcomes will be measured through surveys, facilitator assessments, and community-defined indicators of cultural and cognitive wellness. This work is innovative because it merges science with Indigenous knowledge to provide a low-cost, non-invasive method for dementia detection and prevention. It strengthens cultural continuity, increases local capacity, and supports healthier aging. This project aims to create new skills and olfactory tools that will remain in the community. The long-term goal is to expand this program so that Indigenous communities across Canada can access culturally safe, science-informed dementia prevention.