Conclusion

This book sheds light on diverse situations and contexts that impact older Indigenous adults, all of which represent different times and places but also have overlapping similarities that weave throughout each theme. These reflect broad themes such as colonization and its continuing impacts; family and societal change due to economic and labor market demands; environmental change; and challenges to cultural knowledge, traditions, values, and practices. The book points to the urgent need for further inquiry, writing, and discussion on the social aspects of aging in Indigenous communities throughout the world. More research on aging about Indigenous older persons lives and ways to enhance their life quality and well-being is clearly called for. Learning and applying the Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing and being can lead to better social programs, policies, and services that reflect and embody Indigenous cultural knowledge and traditions and build on the past and current contributions of older Indigenous persons to families, communities, and societies.