On November 17, 2001 The National Indian & Inuit Community Health Representatives Organization (NIICHRO) located in Kahnawake, Quebec, was honored for its efforts to improve the health of Canada's Indian and Inuit elders. NIICHRO is one of 13 community-based organizations from throughout the United States and Canada to receive a 2001 SHARE Award from GlaxoSmithKline and the University of Pennsylvania Institute on Aging. The award is granted for project work that will better the health of seniors of diverse cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. NIICHRO received a two-year, $200,000US SHARE Innovation Award for their proposal to develop culturally specific training materials for Aboriginal frail elders.

"NIICHRO's program grew out of our realization that the health care needs of First Nations and Inuit elders in our communities were not being met," explained Executive Director Margaret Horn. "Cultural background is an important factor in the way they view their health care options, and in general a lack of awareness of that influence may leave them socially isolated or without the care they may need."

"Despite increased emphasis on the health and quality of life of older individuals, many elders from diverse cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds are slipping through the cracks," said Robert Carr, MD, MPH, Vice President and Corporate Medical Director of GlaxoSmithKline.

The SHARE Awards are designed to improve the health and well-being of older adults who because of their race, ethnicity, or culture face barriers in access to health care services.
The name "SHARE" reflects the Awards Program's goals:

Sensitize health systems to older adults of various heritages
Help build partnerships
Advocate culturally appropriate care for older adults
Recognize leadership and innovation
Educate, support, and assist communities

The SHARE Awards are given to organizations that provide culturally sensitive health care by improving the health of older adults. The SHARE Awards defines "culturally sensitive" as knowing and respecting the differences in health beliefs and practices among older adults. These differences may be due to one's culture, race, ethnicity, language, or religious beliefs. Programs providing culturally sensitive care may take a variety of forms. These include, but are not limited to:
Lay health workers who provide education and outreach programs.
Intergenerational programs that address the changing cultural beliefs across different generations.
Programs that integrate religious beliefs and spirituality into health care and care giving.
Use of traditional healers as part of health care delivery.
Programs that address language barriers, such as linguistic and cultural translators and interpreters included in the delivery of health care.

The SHARE Awards are sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline and managed by the University of Pennsylvania Institute on Aging. The total funding is US $1.5 million each year.

Two types of SHARE Awards are given annually:

1) One-year, US $50,000 Leadership Awards to recognize organizations that have had a positive, measurable impact on the well-being of diverse groups of older persons.

2) Granting up to US $200,000 over two years, Innovation Awards honor organizations that have proposed new approaches to improving health care access and outcomes for these elders.

NIICHRO's Coming Full Circle project received funding under these criteria.

SHARE Awardees are chosen by an independent U.S.-Canadian advisory board made up of professionals in the fields of multiculturalism and aging, representatives of community-based organizations, and elder consumers. This is a restricted grant for up to US $200,000 to be distributed over a two-year period. The Innovation Award that NIICHRO received is for new or enhanced programs that improve the health of older adults who because of race, ethnicity, or culture face barriers in access to health care services. To be eligible for an Innovation Award, organizations:
Must be at least three years old.
Must have a strong track record of service to older adults.
Cannot have previously received a SHARE Innovation Award.
Must be a community-based organization with:

Annual operating budget of under US $5 million. (Note: Applicants who are part of larger organizations with operating budgets over US $5 million must prove they are not financially supported or administered by the larger organization.)
o Not-for-profit, non-governmental, or charitable structure with Revenue Canada Registered Charitable Status. Tribal governments are eligible.
o A primary mission to improve health care access and outcomes for older persons.

Programs or services must:
o Uniquely serve the target population(s) of older adults that are identified in the application.
o Be administered with meaningful and substantial community involvement.
o Seek to support, educate, and assist the people and communities being served.
Applications for community-based programs working in collaboration with other agencies, health institutions, and businesses are strongly encouraged. The community-based organization receiving the award must meet all eligibility requirements, and must:
Lead the joint project(s).
Serve as the lead project administrator.
Manage award funds.
Provide the services outlined in the application or nomination. An organization cannot simply serve as a fiscal agent for another group providing the services.
Organizations may not apply for both SHARE Awards within the same year.

AWARD SELECTION CRITERIA
Applications for SHARE Awards were scored with special attention to the following areas:

Agreement between organization and program goals and the SHARE Award goals
Community-based nature of the organization
Population(s) served and the need for service
Importance of the problem to be resolved
Program or service's unique method in resolving the problem
Clearly defined objectives of the program and impact on the target population
Organization's track record, fiscal soundness, strength in management, and responsiveness to community needs
Proven support by collaborating partners
Sound methods to involve the community
Ability to be re-created in other locations

In addition to specific program objectives for the Coming Full Circle project, NIICHRO also had to fulfill a set background requirements:

What are the history and mission of the organization?
What is the range of programs and services?
What target populations are served and in what percentages?
How are the needs of the group(s) served determined?
Description of the resources available to support project implementation and success.
Evidence of capacity and previous experience with evaluation.
What tracking systems are currently in place?
Are information systems resources available?
Does the organization have access to evaluation expertise?

The following quotation summarizes the intent of NIICHRO's Coming Full Circle Frail and Elderly Training Program:

The goal of NIICHRO as an organization is to improve the quality of health care services offered to First Nations and Inuit people through the work of the CHRs. Direct contact with CHRs is managed through quarterly In Touch magazines, the website (http://www.niichro.com), and the Annual General Meetings and National Training Sessions. Earlier activities and initiatives for elderly Aboriginal people included development of training tools, "Train the Trainers" sessions, and National Training Sessions. Previous projects and training included advocacy on Diabetes and Aging in Aboriginal Communities and Spirit in Motion: Active Living and Aging. NIICHRO's approach to the Coming Full Circle project emphasizes assisting CHRs and family caregivers in motivating elder Aboriginal people to become more active and healthy.

For further information on the SHARE Awards, contact the University of Pennsylvania Institute on Aging by phone at (215) 573-5532, e-mail, or mail at:

SHARE Awards
University of Pennsylvania Institute on Aging,
3615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
19104

Complete information is also available on the Institute on Aging website, at http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/SHARE.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better, and live longer. For company information, visit GSK on the World Wide Web at http://www.gsk.com.