Physical activity is widely considered to be a significant contributing factor to how “successfully” one ages. There are, however, certain groups whose voices have not been widely heard in discussions around physical activity and aging, particularly those from diverse cultural backgrounds. In this research, we explored how Alaska Native Elders perceive the role of physical activity as they age and its contribution to successful aging. Based on semi-structured interviews with 41 Elders, the results show that engaging in physical activity was not just seen as a personal responsibility to maintain health and age successfully, but also as a way to resist Western society’s dominant view of older adults as deteriorating and declining by being physically active regardless of age; to improve or maintain their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health; and/or to enable them to continue participating in subsistence activities that are rooted in their culture and traditional roles as Elders.

Because of advances in treatment over the past 30 years, the number of older people living with HIV is growing. This is important for Indigenous Peoples in Canada, given their continuing over-representation in HIV diagnoses. However, little is known about the experiences of older, HIV-positive Indigenous Peoples. Taking a strength-based approach, this research explored how older Indigenous men with HIV conceptualize successful aging. Research was conducted in partnership with the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network. First Nations, Inuit, and Métis men, ranging in age from 43 to 63 years who had been HIV positive for 10–29 years participated in sharing circles and interviews. An open analytic approach was used to explore the content of transcripts, and codes were collaboratively developed through an inductive and iterative process. From our analysis of commonalities across Indigenous groups, we offer our insights on the application of the successful aging model to Indigenous men aging with HIV.

Interdisciplinary research using qualitative methods was employed to investigate the barriers to and facilitators of cultural participation for First Nations Elders who use wheeled mobility and live on reserve in Ontario, Canada. Themes were extracted into three broad categories: (1) impact of Elder participation in cultural activities, (2) usefulness of wheeled mobility devices, and (3) barriers to participating in cultural events. Barriers included lack of transportation, inability to access the outdoors safely and independently, challenging reserve terrain, stigma of being “disabled”, and feeling like a burden. Findings suggest that wheeled mobility can increase the active participation of Elders in cultural events, but demonstrate a need to facilitate the use of wheeled mobility on reserves in Ontario, Canada.