This Week's Updates
Alaska Department of Health sent this bulletin at 07/24/2025 03:17 PM AKDT
Visit ACoA at Disability Pride in Anchorage this Saturday
Celebrating Alaska's Centenarians on National Centenarian Day September 22
We are excited to share that Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA), Alaska Long-Term Care Ombudsman Office and Alaska Pioneer Homes are working on a special project to celebrate Alaska's Centenarians on National Centenarian Day, September 22, 2025.
Are you a Centenarian (age 100 years or older)? Do you know a Centenarian in your community who we should celebrate? Reach out to us at: doh.acoa.info@alaska.gov or call 907-230-0871. Stay tuned!
ACoA Long-Term Care Medicaid Eligibility Webinar with Alaskan Attorney Amrit Kaur Khalsa August 18
We appreciate everyone who joined our Estate Planning Webinar with Chelsea Riekkola last month in honor of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Thanks to overwhelmingly positive feedback and several suggestions for further educational classes, we are hosting a Long-Term Care Medicaid Eligibility Webinar with Alaskan Attorney Amrit Kaur Khalsa on August 18th via Zoom from 12pm to 1:30pm AKDT which will cover Miller Trusts, Transfer of Assets, and more.
Visit ACoA at Disability Pride in Anchorage this Saturday
Alaska Commission on Aging Program Coordinator will be tabling at Disability Pride in Anchorage this weekend, celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act! Come check out Senior and Disabilities and ACoA resources from 12pm - 4pm on the Park Strip. Free, all are welcome! Facebook event here.
AK DOH: Federal Rural Health Transformation Program - Request for Information
The Alaska Department of Health is gathering input for the new Rural Health Transformation Program, a five-year federal initiative established under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to strengthen health systems in rural areas. They are seeking feedback and ideas from providers, Tribal Health Organizations, local governments, and community partners on how these funds can best support Alaska’s rural and frontier communities.
Organizations are encouraged to review the Request for Information (RFI) and submit concepts, priorities, or recommendations by 4:00 p.m. AKT on August 18, 2025. Responses may be submitted as a narrative or in a more structured format, as outlined in the RFI. Please send submissions to procurement specialist Annalisa Haynie at annalisa.haynie@alaska.gov and copy doh.procurement.proposals@alaska.gov.
Trusted Connections: Support Services for Elders on Medical Travel & Houseless Individuals in Anchorage
Navigate Anchorage Safely! Let Trusted Connections know when you or a loved one is planning a visit from the village. TC helps with safe liaisons for transportation, housing, food, resources, medical needs, and spiritual support in Anchorage, especially for Elders.
Indigenous Led Healing Circles: Healing People Healing People. Join TC on a seven-session weekly
healing journey. Share a warm meal. Be present with kindness. Learn simple ways to calm with breath, movement, music, visualization. Express yourself through language, crafts, and colors. Participate in
compassionate, peaceful healing. Weekly talking circles for community. Facilitator training offered three
times a year.
Safe City Link: TC also provides culturally respectful compassionate support for unsheltered neighbors in Anchorage.
Connect: Dan Solomon | Leona (Uyang) Seal at support@trustedconnections.help, 907-538-4211.
AARP Alaska: Social Security Anniversary Toolkits Available; Scam & Fraud Prevention
Social Security is Turning 90, and AARP Alaska Wants to Help You Celebrate! On August 14, 2025, Social Security will be 90 years old! To celebrate this milestone, AARP Alaska is planning a few events statewide. They also want to help communities put on their own celebration events, so they are sharing a toolkit with resources to anyone interested. This toolkit will include:
- Social Security and 1935 themed trivia game “Back in 1935” fact sheets
- Contact sheets to collect Social Security stories
- The Governor’s proclamation
- Videos from members of congress
- Cake design templates
AARP would love to help you create your own celebration! If interested, please email Teresa Holt at tholt@aarp.org.
AARP Alaska wants to share information about scams that are happening in Alaska. They are collecting stories that have happened recently in rural communities in Alaska. Please email your story and contact information to Teresa Holt tholt@aarp.org. Also, if you have a way to share scam information in your community (through newsletters, email lists, radio show, etc.) please let them know and they will share information on current scams as they hear about them.
Homer Long Term Care Unit Earns National Recognition
South Peninsula Hospital’s long-term care unit has been recognized as a 2025 “Silver Achievement in Quality Award” recipient by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. According to a July 14 press release, the award is the second of three distinctions possible through the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program, which recognizes organizations that meet progressively rigorous standards of performance to further improve the lives of residents and staff in long-term care.
Read more from Homer News here.
View all Quality Award Recipients nationwide here.
Lifeloop Webinar - It starts with sleep: Unlocking better days through restorative nights July 29
Join Lifeloop on Tuesday, July 29th at 9am AKDT for a free, thought-provoking webinar exploring sleep as a critical – yet often overlooked – pillar of health in senior living. Featuring insights from industry leaders, this webinar will explore how improving sleep quality can enhance emotional well-being, cognitive function, and daily engagement for residents, while also supporting staff performance and satisfaction.
In this session, you’ll learn to:
- Recognize the impact of disrupted sleep on residents’ health and participation
- Identify common barriers to restorative sleep in care environments
- Implement practical, non-pharmacological strategies to improve sleep quality
Whether you’re leading operations, designing resident programs, or delivering hands-on care, this webinar will offer actionable insights that can make every night – and every day – better. Register now.
Scam Susceptibility: What Factors Increase One's Susceptibility to Scams Webinar
July 30
Join this webcast on July 30th at 10:30am AKDT, sponsored by the North American Securities Administrators Association, to hear speaker Dr. Marguerite DeLiema, Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota, discuss the factors that increase an individual's susceptibility to scams.
Dr. DeLiema focuses her research on the factors associated with increased vulnerability to scams and fraud as well as on the effectiveness of consumer education messages to prevent fraud. This presentation will focus on the factors Dr. DeLiema's research has demonstrated affect consumer's scam susceptibility, including factors that increase consumer's resilience.
Register for the webinar
AmeriCorps Seniors Alaska: Register by August 1
Calling all Alaskans 55 and older! Join RurAL CAP for the AmeriCorps Seniors Annual Conference, happening September 23–26 in Anchorage at the Lakefront Hotel in Anchorage.
This is a statewide program, and RurAL CAP AmeriCorps Seniors is inviting volunteers from all across Alaska to come together for an exciting few days of learning, connection, and celebration! The deadline to apply is August 1st. If you’re 55+ and interested in volunteering with youth in your local community, or volunteering with seniors as a companion, apply online at https://eldermentor.org — click the "Apply to be a Volunteer" tab. Or call 907-717-7932. Both AmeriCorps Senior volunteer options include a tax-free stipend that won't affect any benefits you may be receiving. The program requires a minimum of 5 hours volunteering a week. Volunteer service is required to attend the annual conference.
Don’t miss this inspiring statewide gathering — come connect, contribute, and be celebrated!
Administration for Community Living Upcoming Webinars
Join ACL's National Caregiver Support Collaborative (NCSC) on August 6th at for a webinar on integrating family caregivers as essential partners within care teams. The NCSC offers resources and technical assistance to aging network organizations and key partners, including those serving tribal and kinship caregiver support networks.
During this session, attendees will learn about actionable strategies for facilitating partnership between aging network organizations and health care providers to address critical gaps in caregiver support. The webinar will showcase:
- Updates from ACL about their multipronged approach to advancing partnerships between the health care and social sectors
- Key resources developed by the University of California San Francisco as part of the NCSC’s goal of achieving greater recognition, support, and inclusion of family caregivers
- Local examples of aging network and health care provider partnership in action
Attendees will also have the opportunity to engage in an interactive discussion to explore collaboration opportunities and discuss indicators of success for partnership and engagement as outlined in the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers.
ASL and CART services will be provided. Registration is required. For questions, please contact CaregiverCollaborative@acl.hhs.gov. To learn more about the NCSC and access additional resources, please visit the NCSC website.
Join ACL's National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center (NADRC) on August 12th for the webinar, Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD): Focus on Interdisciplinary Care and Caregiver Lived Experience.
This session will provide a general understanding of the difference between Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), with an emphasis on the young-onset and atypical caregiver experience. Presenters will highlight the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to diagnosis, care planning, and caregiver support to promote the highest quality of life possible for people living with a diagnosis and their families. Communication strategies, behavior management, and caregiver support resources will be discussed. The lived experience of FTD caregivers will be shared as part of this webinar.
Presenters
- Katie Brandt, Director of Caregiver Support Services, FTD Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Marilyn Decalo, Full-time Caregiver
NADRC webinars are free of charge and open to the public. Webinars are recorded and will be available for viewing on the NADRC website. Pre-registration is required to attend the live webinars. Closed captioning is available during the live event and is included in the recording for all NADRC webinars.
If you have questions, please email NADRC-Webinars@rti.org.
Alaska Federation of Natives: President's Award Nominations Due August 15
Nominations for the President’s Awards are due by close of business on Friday, August 15, 2025. You can click here to access the award information on our website.
The President’s Awards that will be honored in 2025 are the following:
- Culture Bearer
- Della Keats “Healing Hands”
- Elder of the Year
- Lu Young Youth Leadership
- Parents of the Year
- Public Service
- Walter Soboleff “Warriors of Light”
Important notes:
- The nomination form and it is available for download by clicking here;
- Late submissions will not be considered by the Convention Committee;
- Travel, hotel, per diem, or other expenses are paid by the nominators; and
- The nominators will be notified no later than September 19, 2025 of the winners.
The 59th Annual AFN Convention will take place October 16-18, 2025, at the Dena'ina Civic & Convention Center in Anchorage, Alaska.
If you have any questions, please call: 907-274-3611 or email: njames@nativefederation.org.
Justice in Aging Webinar: Issues Impacting Older Immigrants & Re-entry for Older Adults
This Justice in Aging webinar on August 20th, Bird’s-Eye View: Issues Impacting Older Immigrants in 2025, will provide a high-level overview of major issues facing older immigrants in 2025. This webinar will also provide advocates with information regarding the recent sharing of private Medicaid information to immigration officials, the narrowing of immigrant eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid, and the erosion of protected areas from immigration enforcement.
Presenters will discuss:
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Who older immigrants are;
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Developments in immigration policies impacting older adults; and
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General guidance for advocates who work with older immigrants with resources from Justice in Aging and our partners.
Older adults leaving prison and jail face many barriers to accessing health care. Recent improvements to the Medicare Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for older adults leaving incarceration and a new definition of “custody” make it easier for older adults to access Medicare when they return to the community.
Justice in Aging has a new fact sheet summarizes changes under the new definition of custody that will enable older adults who are in the community pending trial, on parole, on probation, under home detention, or residing in a halfway house to access Medicare. They also updated their issue brief on the Medicare Special Enrollment Period (SEP) with new information and examples.
The webinar recording, Access to Medicare for People Leaving Incarceration, provides advocates with information on how to enroll their older adult clients in Medicare using the Incarceration SEP, how older adults can access Medicare while under community supervision, and how to connect older adult clients with financial assistance and coverage through Medicaid.
Check out more Justice in Aging resources on Reentry for Older Adults.
Mental Health First Aid for Older Adults Training August 22
MHFA for Older Adults is an evidence-based, early intervention training program that teaches how to assist and support older adults who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge. Older adults have high rates of late-onset mental health challenges, like anxiety and depression, and low rates of identification and treatment.
Though all are welcome, the course is designed for adults who regularly interact with older adults (caretakers, families, nursing staff, etc.).
This training is available in Anchorage or Wasilla on August 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Register for MHFA in Anchorage
(Make free account to register).
Questions about this training? Contact Jill at jdramsey2@alaska.edu.
Questions about registration? Email CHD Support at chdsupport@alaska.edu or call (907) 264-6244.
Fairbanks Senior Center Community Party August 23
Alaska Health Information Exchange Summit Aug 28
The annual Alaska HIE Summit brings together healthcare stakeholders from across the state to collaborate, hear from local and national leaders, share successes, and explore new ways to improve health information exchange and care coordination.
Hosted by healthEconnect Alaska and the Alaska Department of Health in Anchorage, this year’s event brings together healthcare leaders and innovators to explore how health data is transforming care across the state. Both in-person and virtual attendance are available for free!
Be part of the conversation—registration is now open.
Voices of Alzheimer's Updates
VoA is advocating for immediate Medicare coverage for individuals under 65 diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, calling attention to the burden created by the current two-year SSDI waiting period. Although some families may not be directly impacted, many are supporting the petition in solidarity with those who are.
They also highlighted the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program, which allows travelers with invisible disabilities to discreetly signal the need for additional assistance. United Airlines is the first major U.S. airline to adopt the program, and Voices of Alzheimer’s is encouraging public support to expand participation across the travel industry.
Additional features include a webinar on the latest research presented at AAIC 2025 and new podcast episodes. These include conversations with advocates like Chris and Debra Tann, whose experience with Frontal Temporal Dementia led to the creation of a nonprofit, and Samuel Simon, who transformed his Alzheimer’s diagnosis into a solo theatrical performance, “Dementia Man.”
IHS: Tribal Injury Prevention Cooperative Agreement Program Funding
The Indian Health Service Injury Prevention Program is pleased to announce the release of the Tribal Injury Prevention Cooperative Agreement Program (TIPCAP) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). TIPCAP builds capacity to address injuries and violence for American Indian and Alaska Native people through community-driven, culturally centered approaches.
Funding Options:
- Part I: Up to $150,000 per year for five years to hire a full-time injury prevention coordinator to develop and implement an injury Prevention program.
- Part II: Up to $40,000 per year for five years for project-based injury prevention initiatives.
We encourage eligible Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Urban Indian organizations to apply. Please help us spread the word within your networks.
Application Deadline: November 13, 2025
Apply through: grants.gov
Opportunity Number: HHS-2025-IHS-IPP-0001
For questions or more information, contact:
- CDR Andrea Tsatoke at andrea.tsatoke@ihs.gov
- CDR Molly Madson at molly.madson@ihs.gov
For complete program details and application insructions, visit the IHS TIPCAP website.
National Indian Council on Aging Updates
Calling All Native Artists! Submit your artwork for the 2025 American Indian Elders Conference held at the Choctaw Casino Durant, Oklahoma! This year’s theme is: “Native Elders from Four Directions - Sacred, Wisdom, Tradition, Language.” Chosen artwork will be recognized on the conference tee-shirts and on the title page of the conference program, and the winning artist will receive a $500 reward!.
Please submit artwork and its description to Billie Tohee at billietohee@nicoa.org. Designs must be vector images. Must fit a T-Shirt and banner. Must have 3 colors or less. Please use the NICOA logo with its original colors or all white. Must be a Native artist. Don’t miss this opportunity to honor our Elders through your creativity!
The International Association for Indigenous Aging (IA²) has released a new resource called The Wandering Toolkit to help Native communities protect elders with dementia who may go missing. The toolkit addresses the growing crisis of wandering incidents among elders with Alzheimer’s and related dementias in American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Developed with input from law enforcement, search and rescue teams, and community members, it offers culturally adapted strategies and step-by-step emergency plans. It includes prevention tools, response guidelines, and educational materials tailored for tribal communities. The toolkit aims to ensure elder safety while honoring cultural values and traditional practices.
The U.S. Department of the Interior has transferred nearly 28,000 acres of land to NANA Regional Corporation under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), bringing NANA’s total entitlement to over 713,000 acres—96% of its full allocation. This historic milestone helps fulfill longstanding federal obligations to Alaska Native corporations. NANA President John Lincoln expressed gratitude for the support of federal leaders and emphasized the importance of the land selections made by past Elders. The transferred land, located near the proposed Ambler Road corridor, enhances local control over development and resource use. The move also aligns with federal efforts to reduce regulatory barriers and support economic opportunity in Alaska.
CCAM-TAC National Transportation Updates
The latest Coordinating Chronicles highlights Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility Technical Assistance Center's nationwide outreach and new technical assistance resources. It introduces a new e-learning course on strategic transit technology planning, a performance measurement training called “You Get What You Measure,” and a user-friendly Federal Fund Braiding Guide.
They also share the Community Rides Grant Program, offering up to $100,000 for projects that develop or strengthen transportation partnerships to improve access in rural areas. Eligible applicants include current recipients and subrecipients of FTA’s Section 5311 Formula Grants for Rural Areas. The application deadline is August 29, 2025.
Plus, you’ll find information on CCAM-TAC’s upcoming conference appearances and NADTC’s Empowering Mobility Together webinar series and online discussion forum for Section 5310 stakeholders.
American Bankers Association: "Banks Never Ask That" Campaign
The FTC reports that scams and fraud cost consumers a staggering $12.5 billion in 2024.
To help combat this, America’s banks are raising awareness through the #BanksNeverAskThat campaign, designed to help you recognize scam warning signs and avoid phishing attacks.
Cancer vaccine makes progress
Researchers at the University of Florida are moving closer to developing what they have described as a "universal" cancer vaccine, according to a study published in Nature Biomedical Engineering on July 18.
The vaccine would work by "waking the immune system up against something that looks dangerous, and then that response spills over to recognize and reject the tumor," Dr. Elias Sayour, co-author of the study, director of the Pediatric Cancer Immunotherapy Initiative, and principal investigator at the RNA Engineering Laboratory at the University of Florida, told Newsweek.
Read the Newsweek article here.Native America Calling - Language revitalization: apps, games, and classroom lessons help keep Native languages vital
Education advocates are launching a multi-year program to develop a game and to teach the Denaakk’e language in schools. That and another language teaching apps come at a time when almost all federal funding for language revitalization is eliminated. We’ll also talk with a man about his personal journey learning the Cherokee language, an undertaking that inspired him to learn more about his tribal language’s history and importance in maintaining culture.
Grant Writing USA Management Class Hosted by Alaska Department of Public Safety September 22-23
If your agency receives or plans to receive government grants, this class is for you. Beginning and experienced grant managers and administrators from city, county and state agencies as well as nonprofits, K-12, colleges and universities are encouraged to attend. You do not need to work in the same profession as the host agency.
Tuition is $595 per person and includes everything: two days of world-class instruction and a 500 page participant guide and reference binder. You'll also have lifetime, free access to their exclusive Alumni Resource Center.
American Society on Aging Free Upcoming Webinars
Preventing Fraud and Scams: Safeguarding Older Adults Sponsored by Home Instead.Aging and Brain Health Sponsored by Right at Home.
Strategies for Improving Quality of Life for Individuals Living with Dementia Sponsored by Right at Home.
Sept. 10 | 9am AKDT
Pressure Points for Dementia Caregiving: Behavior, Driving, and Firearms Sponsored by Right at Home.
Sept. 17 | 9am AKDT
The Cost of Care: Funding Options for Long-Term Care Needs Sponsored by Home Instead.
Oct. 1 | 9am AKDT
KNBA: Ocean energy to fuel power issues affecting health care in rural villages
Communities facing health system challenges due to frequent power outages, which disrupt clinic operations and patient care, are turning to an innovative solution. Chugachmiut is exploring ocean wave energy as a more reliable power source. Community members hope the new energy system will not only improve health services but also generate surplus electricity that could be sold to support health care and education.
MedPage Today: Memory Cafes Nationwide Ignite Laughter and Connection for Dementia Patients & Caregivers
Memory cafes have emerged around the world in recent years as a way to connect and support individuals and caregivers and provide information and resources. Many of the more than 600 cafes regularly running in the U.S. -- often meeting in libraries and community centers -- bring in speakers and engage participants with physical activity, music, and art, all of which are good for the brain, experts say.
Listen TTHealth Watch: Suicidality Among Older Adults
TTHealth Watch is a weekly podcast from Texas Tech. In it, Elizabeth Tracey, director of electronic media for Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, and Rick Lange, MD, president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, look at the top medical stories of the week.
This week's topics include reanimating hearts for transplant, suicidality among older adults, opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment in primary care, and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) outcomes without surgery.
Listen to the podcast episode here.
Vision Problems May Also Increase Dementia Risk
San Francisco Chronicle: This Common Health Condition Has A Surprising Link With Dementia
For years, doctors have known that high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and excessive alcohol increase your risk of dementia. More recently, a growing body of evidence also suggests a link to vision problems, leading to the influential Lancet Commission in 2024 to add untreated vision loss to the list of 14 modifiable risk factors for dementia. The commission, which issues periodic recommendations on public health matters, found that about 45% of dementia cases in the world are potentially preventable by addressing 14 modifiable risk factors — which also include high cholesterol, social isolation and hearing loss — and that 2% of cases can be prevented or delayed by addressing treatable vision loss.
Disclaimer: The information and announcements included in this email are being redistributed for informational purposes only. Our agency does not necessarily endorse or support the views, opinions, or activities of these organizations, and inclusion in this email does not imply any affiliation or recommendation.