This Week's Updates
Alaska Department of Health sent this bulletin at 09/19/2025 10:51 AM AKDT
Join us: ACoA Quarterly Meeting Sept 25
Celebrating Alaska's Centenarians on Centenarians Day September 22
We have had the great pleasure of speaking with more than twenty Alaskan Centenarians, Alaskans who are age 100 or older, in honor of National Centenarians Day, September 22nd. Thank you to our partners Alaska Long Term Care Ombudsman Office and Alaska Pioneer Homes for supporting this endeavor!ACoA Free Educational Webinar: Overcoming Ageism on Ageism Awareness Day October 9
Please join us for a special webinar on Ageism Awareness Day, October 9th from 12pm - 1:30pm featuring Kimberly Van Orden, Director of The HOPE Lab, Erin E. Emery-Tiburcio, Co-Director of the E4 Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Disparities in Aging and the Rush Center for Excellence in Aging, and Alex Roider, Special Projects Attorney at the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights. Learn what ageism is, how to overcome it internally and in society, and how to report age discrimination in Alaska. The HOPE Lab will also address the intersection of ageism and older adult suicide. Zoom link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84388866103ACoA Free Community Webinar: Social Security 101 with Regional SSA October 28
Social Security Administration Regional Public Affairs Specialist Nathan Cole (who covers Alaska) will be joining us for an exclusive conversation on Social Security 101 with Q&A to follow. Join ACoA on October 28th from 12pm - 1:30pm to learn all things Social Security and get your questions answered. Looking for help on a particular topic of SSA? Please email us your requests so we can share with the presenter: doh.acoa.info@alaska.gov. The event flyer will be distributed in next week's e-blast.ACoA Board Meeting September 25 via Zoom
You are invited! Please join us next Thursday for our quarterly board meeting via Zoom: September 25th from 9am - 4pm; lunch break 12-12:30pm. This board meeting will feature educational presentations and updates from Alaskan organizations including the Alaska Training Cooperative, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, ACLU Alaska Prison Project, the new State Falls Prevention Coalition and more. Celebrate Employ Older Adults Week with a presentation from the Mature Alaskans Seeking Skills Program (MASST). Facebook post here.Alaska Human Service Transportation Grant: Intent to Apply Closes Today at 4:30pm
The SFY2027 Alaska Community Transit Human Service Transportation Grant Intent to Apply period closes September 19, 2025. All agencies must submit an Intent to Apply to be eligible for funding.
There are two forms:
- Established Applicants – for agencies that have received an ACT grant within the last 5 years.
- Prospective Applicants – for agencies that have not received ACT funding in the last 5 years.
Forms and instructions are at www.dot.alaska.gov/transit. Please submit by 4:30 p.m., September 19th to dot.alaska.transit@alaska.gov.
Questions? Call (907) 465-6961 or email dot.alaska.transit@alaska.gov.
Norton Sound Health Corporation Named 2025 Enhancing Sustainable Models of Dementia Care Grantee
Indian Health Service is excited to announce the 2025 Enhancing Sustainable Models of Dementia Care grantees! The following ten organizations received a nearly $2 million combined each year to continue their work improving care and services for American Indian and Alaska Native people living with dementia, as well as their caregivers:
· Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma (Oklahoma)
· Central Oklahoma American Indian Health Council, Inc. (Oklahoma)
· Cherokee Nation (Oklahoma)
· Chickahominy Indian Tribe (Virginia)
· Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon (Oregon)
· Denver Indian Health and Family Services (Colorado)
· Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe (Nevada)
· First Nations Community Health Source (New Mexico)
· Norton Sound Health Corporation (Alaska)
· Seattle Indian Health Board (Washington)
These funds will support innovative programs aimed at enhancing clinical care, increasing access to services, and strengthening support systems in tribal communities. Program activities will help advance the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease.
Congratulations NHSC! Learn more here.
Alaska Native CARE Lab: Recruiting Now for Paid Dementia Caregiver Focus Groups
The Alaska Native CARE Lab at the University of Alaska Anchorage will be conducting a focus group study exploring dementia knowledge, experiences, and needs in rural communities.
This research project seeks to learn from Alaska Native people who care for or have cared for someone with memory loss. The goal is to better understand the current needs of families and to strengthen support systems.
Two focus group events will be held in Anchorage:
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October 24–25, 2025 (Friday & Saturday), 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM
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December 5–6, 2025 (Friday & Saturday), 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM
At each session, participants will join two focus groups to discuss memory loss, brain health, and caregiving support needs.
Who is invited:
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Alaska Native caregivers (current or past) of someone with memory loss
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Community members and service providers working with families experiencing dementia
Support for participation:
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Flights and hotel accommodations will be provided for out-of-town participants
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Participation gift cards will be offered to community members
More information is available at https://www.ancarelab.com/ or by contacting Steffi Kim, PhD: smkim5@alaska.edu.
Juneau UAS Campus in Need of CNA Instructor
The University of Alaska Southeast Juneau campus is committed to providing local Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) courses for high school and community students and has an immediate opening for an instructor. This is a critical role in strengthening the healthcare workforce and addressing a long-standing gap in Juneau. Applicants must meet Alaska Board of Nursing requirements, hold RN or LPN licensure, have at least two years of nursing experience (including one year in long-term care), and demonstrate the ability to teach or supervise nurse aides. This full-time, term-funded faculty position includes a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits. The position remains open until filled. Learn more and apply here.
The 2025 Innovations in Alzheimer's Caregiving Awards is Accepting Nominations
Are you—or someone you know—part of an organization that's working to improve life for individuals with Alzheimer's or related dementia disease, and for their family, friends, and caregivers? If so, the Family Caregiver Alliance wants to hear from you! Apply now to be recognized and supported by one of these $20,000 awards.
Applications for the Alzheimer's Caregiving Awards must be submitted by 7pm AKT on October 20th. Awards will be given in the categories of Creative Expression, Diverse/Multicultural Communities, and Public Policy. Not for profit and tribal organizations, government agencies, and universities addressing a community need with a program or project that focuses primarily on family/informal caregivers of adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are eligible to apply. Note: Family/informal caregivers are unpaid caregivers. The term includes family members, friends, domestic partners, and neighbors.
Next steps:
-Go to the awards page to get more information and the application.
-Forward this message to other innovators who should apply.
-If you know of an innovative program that should apply, send the name and email address of the contact person to awards@caregiver.org.
Rural Health Information Hub's Grant Announcements
Dental Preventive Clinical Support Program
Grants to address the challenges and opportunities associated with IHS preventive and clinical dental programs. The program goals are to provide support, guidance, training, and enhancement of dental programs within their area and to ensure that the services of the support centers and the dental programs result in measurable improvements in the oral health status of the American Indian/Alaska Native patients served.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Oct 10, 2025
Sponsors: Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
VA Rural Health Career Development Award (RHCDA)
Funding to support early career investigators in developing a research program focused on issues of relevance to rural veterans.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Letter of Intent (Required): Oct 31, 2025
Application Deadline: Mar 6, 2026
Sponsors: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health (R01 and R34 Clinical Trials Optional)
Funding to support research designed to improve health in Native American populations. Proposed research may address health promotion, disease prevention, treatment, recovery, or services research to inform intervention implementation and dissemination, and it must engage tribal partners and communities.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Jan 7, 2027
Sponsors: National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health
Advancing Healthcare for Older Adults from Populations that Experience Health Disparities (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional)
Funding for innovative, multi-level healthcare research for older adults from populations that experience health disparities. Rural populations are considered a disparity population.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Application Deadline: Jan 8, 2028
Sponsors: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) Planning Grants (R34 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Funding to support federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribes, tribal colleges and universities, tribal health programs, or tribal organizations to plan and conduct preparatory work for developing competitive NARCH applications.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Jul 8, 2028
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Health Center Facility Loan Guarantee Program
Facilitates access to capital funding and reduces financing costs for health centers by guaranteeing up to 80% of financing needed to support capital infrastructure projects.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsors: Bureau of Primary Health Care, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) Training and Mentoring
Training to provide medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) for clinicians in high-need communities. Clinicians who complete the training may be priority applicants for some NHSC loan repayment programs.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. territories
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsors: Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration, National Health Service Corps, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Alaska Dementia Action Collaborative: Anchorage Quarterly Meeting Registration Ends Oct 1
Last chance to register for the ADAC quarterly meeting on Friday, October 10th, which will be in person in Anchorage at the BP Energy Center. Join ADAC for an exhilarating day of connection, discussion, and learning.
The Alaska Dementia Action Collaboration has been working diligently to coordinate the work of building a robust system of support for people impacted by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. It’s time for a review of progress and ensure we are keeping sight of our long-term goals.
The agenda includes a review of A Call for Action: Alaska’s 10-year map to address Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias which is the driving force behind the work of the Alaska Dementia Action Collaborative and informational sessions on a Fairbanks based Village to Village model and a discussion with an Alaska audiologist on the connection between hearing loss and dementia risk.
Event Agenda:
10:00 AM – Welcome & Introductions
10:15 AM – A Call for Action: Alaska’s 10-Year Map
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Why ADAC matters: Public Health Presentation
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Who we are: Elevator Speech
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Where we’re headed: Updates from BOLD, DEPP, and ADAC
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What & How: Workgroup goals and progress updates
12:30 PM – Lunch (provided)
1:00 PM – Education & Insight
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Dr. Thomas McCarty, Audiologist
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Invited Neurologist (TBD)
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Claire Mathews, Aging in Place, Fairbanks
2:55 PM – Final Wrap-Up & Adjourn
Format: In-person and virtual options available
Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska: Become a Savvy Caregiver
Join ARA's 6-week class meeting weekly online. Every Saturday, October 4th to November 8th from 1-3pm online via Zoom. Savvy Caregiver is a 6-week class for family members who are caring for someone living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia (ADRD).
Classes offer caregivers the knowledge and skills they need to improve quality of life for their family member, as well as for themselves. This course provides:
-Information on ADRD.
-Knowledge of how dementia affects the person.
-Ideas for setting up daily care and activities for success.
-Strategies for figuring out what behaviors mean and how to respond.
-Tools for decision-making.
Registration is required. Availability is limited, so register today! To register, contact Gay Wellman: gwellman@alzalaska.orgg or 907-561-3313.
To help Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska cover licensing and provider costs, there is a fee for participation. This fee includes access to all 6 weeks of the course including all educational materials. For more information, please reach out to Gay for assistance.
Alaska Legal Services Corporation Announcements
AK Native Vietnam Vet Land Allotment - Deadline Dec. 29: Eligible Alaska Native veterans and the heirs of deceased veterans may apply for a land allotment through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Applicants can select their land and file directly with BLM. Full details and the application are available here.
Heirs of deceased veterans must also include an Alaska State Court order appointing them as Personal Representative of the estate. The order must be filed within 60 days of the application, though extensions may be requested if more time is needed. Forms are available here. Do not miss this opportunity. The application deadline is Monday, Dec. 29, 2025.
ALSC and Partners Offering Free Legal Help at AFN:
Elizabeth Peratrovich Free Legal Clinic
Drop in for a free 30-minute consultation with an attorney about civil legal issues, including family law, public benefits, housing, tribal justice, probate, and more.
When: Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Where: Dena’ina Center, 2nd Floor, Room 5
Elder Appreciation and Wills Clinic
Volunteer attorneys will help elders prepare Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Advance Health Care Directives. Clients must complete an intake form by October 16 by pre-registering, emailing info@alaskabar.org, calling (907) 272-7469, or visiting the Elizabeth Peratrovich Clinic on October 16.
When: Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Where: Dena’ina Center, 2nd Floor, Room 5
These events are free of charge and made possible by the Alaska Bar Association, Alaska Legal Services Corporation, the ACLU of Alaska, the Alaska Native Justice Center, and the Alaska Commission on Aging, with support from AFN and generous community partners.
Read more updates from ALSC here.
ACL Announcement: September is National Kinship Care Month
About 2.5 million children in the U.S. live in kinship families, being raised by grandparents, other relatives, or close family friends. A growing number of grandparents and other kin provide stability, care, and a sense of belonging to children when they cannot live with their parents. Yet these families often lack access to the supports and services they need.
National Kinship Care Month raises awareness of kinship and grandfamilies' unique strengths and challenges. It’s an opportunity to listen to caregivers, share insights and experiences, and re-commit to building stronger support systems for all.
Administration for Community Living (ACL) works across aging, disability, and caregiving systems to strengthen services for kinship families. At the heart of this work is the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network (GKSN), the first-ever national technical assistance center dedicated to improving programs and policies for kinship caregivers. Many systems and services were not designed with kinship families in mind, making it challenging for them to get support. ACL and its partners, including GKSN grantee Generations United, help communities identify and address barriers.
To mark this month, ACL released a GKSN milestones infographic highlighting accomplishments that include publishing more than 100 original resources and responding to over a thousand requests for assistance.
Featured GKSN Resources:
- Kinship/Grandfamilies Data – Statistics on the number of children in kinship families and the implications for families and the nation
- Kinship Matters to… – Brochures exploring how kinship families intersect with different systems (aging, disability, child welfare, housing)
- Resource Guide for Providers – Links, tips, and toolkits to help those supporting kinship families
ACL also supports various programs, councils, and research projects that strengthen caregiving across the lifespan. Explore these efforts on ACL’s Support to Caregivers page.
Please join ACL in recognizing the contributions of kinship and grandfamilies this month and throughout the year.
Caregiver Action Network: Recovery from Substance Use Disorder Webinar Sept 30
Nearly two-thirds of individuals living with a substance use disorder are employed, and they need workplaces that support them. Workplaces that provide recovery-friendly policies and resources support both employees and their families — while improving productivity and retention. It’s a win-win!
Join CAN for their #NationalRecoveryMonth webinar, Recovery from Substance Use Disorder: How Employers and Caregivers Can Support — Sept. 30 at 9am AKT. Walk away with strategies for creating recovery-friendly workplace policies.
American Society on Aging: Celebrate Ageism Awareness Day
IHS: Free Dementia Clinical Support for Health Care Professionals
The new Indian Health Service (IHS) Dementia Clinical Support Line offers free, on-demand help for IHS, tribal, and urban Indian health providers. A team of dementia care specialists is available Monday through Friday, 8am - 4pm AKT, to answer clinical questions, provide culturally sensitive guidance, and support dementia care planning.
This service is open to physicians, nurses, pharmacists, advanced practice providers, and other clinical staff. Download the flyer and share it with others who may benefit from this resource.
Call 1-833-998-4897 or email uw-triad@uw.edu to connect with an expert.
National Alliance for Caregiving: 2025 Caregivers Report
Family caregivers provide an estimated $600 billion in unpaid care each year, yet remain underrecognized despite being critical to patient outcomes. Nearly one in four Americans serves in this role, often without training, support, or formal acknowledgment, according to the Caregiving in the U.S. 2025 report from the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP.
A companion report from NAC and the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC), Not Just Visitors: Integrating Family Caregivers in Care Delivery and Design, highlights gaps between the essential value of caregivers and the systemic support they receive. It calls for meaningful integration of caregivers into care teams and identifies key challenges, including:
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Limited familiarity with best practices in caregiving
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Conflicts between caregiving and employment or other obligations
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Training that fails to fully incentivize or support engagement
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Burdens that advance care planning rarely address from the caregiver’s perspective
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Underrecognition in healthcare models
Updates from the Moving Forward Coalition
Read about recent efforts to strengthen the nursing home workforce, advance policy, and promote innovation. Highlights include a webinar with Prof. David Grabowski on immigrant caregivers, submitted comments on proposed Fair Labor Standards Act changes, and the launch of the CNA Career Pathways Apprenticeship Pilot. The Coalition also endorsed the Geriatrics Workforce Improvement Act and is elevating household-model nursing homes as more humane environments.
John H. Hartford Foundation Updates
Read about the role of foreign-born workers in long-term care, reflections on caregiving, AI and nursing homes, new approaches to person-centered care planning, and research urging use of post-surgery destination as a quality measure. Also explore new emergency department training modules to address elder mistreatment. Upcoming opportunities include trainings on disability inclusion in age-friendly efforts, a virtual briefing on the Older Americans Act reauthorization, webinars on storytelling in aging advocacy, nursing home quality, Latino dementia caregiving, provider engagement for GUIDE programs, and the October “Hospital at Home” conference. Plus, consider joining the American Hospital Association’s Age-Friendly Health Systems Seventh Action Community.
National Council of Nonprofits Webinar Oct 6
What Nonprofits Need to Know About the Current Federal Grant Landscape Monday, October 6th at 11am AKT.
Many nonprofits are struggling to understand how to best navigate recent changes to federal grants. Register for this webinar to learn what nonprofits need to consider as they plan for future federal grants – what to think about in the application process, how to navigate the new grant certifications, and how to plan for new processes.
CoGenerate Webinar Oct 7: Three University Presidents on Cogeneration, Innovation and Higher Ed’s Bottom Line
Higher education is at a turning point. Changing conditions – demographic shifts, evolving learner needs, declining enrollments, and financial instability – are forcing leaders to rethink the very role colleges and universities play.
What if the future of higher education isn’t just about serving traditional students but about creating campuses where people of all ages learn, work and thrive together? Could this vision of higher education meet our changing needs as a society while also restoring higher education’s bottom line?
In this Big Ideas Forum, co-sponsored by Campus Compact, the presidents of Bennington, Goucher, and the Pacific School of Religion will explain how they’re adopting cogeneration — aka intergenerational collaboration — as a strategy for change. These bold thinkers will explore what it takes to reimagine colleges and universities as hubs of innovation and belonging, where generations come together to drive economic opportunity, lifelong learning and sustainability.
Join CoGenerate on October 7th at 9am AKT for this free, one-hour webinar. This work is made possible by the MetLife Foundation.
Benjamin Rose Institute Webinar on Medicare Changes Oct 16
Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging and the Elder Justice Coalition are pleased to co-host a special virtual presentation, 2025 Medicare Changes: What Caregivers and Advocates Need to Know Thursday, October 16th at 10am AKT via Zoom.
Join the Institute for an important conversation with Bob Blancato, Executive Director of the Elder Justice Coalition, as he unpacks the latest changes to Medicare in 2025.
This webinar will highlight key updates impacting older adults, caregivers and service providers, and offer insights into how these changes connect to broader advocacy efforts. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of what to expect and how to effectively support the needs of older adults in their communities.
Alaska Humanities Forum: Anchorage Day of Storytelling Nov 8
On Saturday, November 8, 50+ storytellers from across the Anchorage-Tikahtnu Upper Cook Inlet area will come together at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center to reflect on who we’ve been, who we are now, and who we want to become.
We hope you’ll join us in listening to these incredible stories and sharing some of your own! By attending, you’ll also enjoy live music, performances, and catered food.
This FREE public event is for anyone who cares about the history and future of the Anchorage/Tikahtnu Upper Cook Inlet area. Register today!
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.