HIV therapy and treatment: New research for Indigenous patients [Video]

A Saskatchewan social work professor hopes new research can improve the lives of Indigenous people living with HIV in a province with the highest rate of infection.

Over the last decade, Andrew Eaton, a professor at the University of Regina, has been developing a cognitive remediation group therapy (CRGT) program for people living with HIV.

“People living with HIV are like everybody else in that we are all aging and susceptible to age-related conditions. But HIV itself can also cause distinct cognitive impairment,” Eaton said.

CRGT is a form of group therapy that uses stress reduction tactics and brain-training activities to improve memory, processing speed, focus and attention.

Eaton says the program already exists in Toronto hospitals, but he wants to adapt the therapy for Indigenous patients to incorporate smudging, drumming, and traditional ways of healing.

“It’s all the more important that they feel that they’re able to come to …