LTSS Newsletter—September 2022

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent this bulletin at 09/23/2022 09:00 AM EDT

LTSS webinar – Overview of CMS’s LTSS TA Center, September 28
American Indian/Alaska Native Long-Term Services and Supports

Technical assistance for culturally competent care
September 2022
CMS LTSS banner
LTSS Technical Assistance Center
Visit the online LTSS TA Center for videos, best practices, toolkits, a resource library, and a step-by-step planning roadmap.
Get email updates
Join us on LinkedIn
Follow us on Twitter

Helping elders stay physically active

Staying physically active promotes wellness in people of all ages. Yet few elders meet the daily recommendations for physical activity.

Stumbling Blocks: Identifying and Overcoming Older Adults’ Barriers to Physical Activity (PDF, 4 MB, 25 pp) provides recommendations aimed at helping elders become more active. Those recommendations include:

  • Building elders' confidence in their ability to exercise safely


  • Promoting physical activity as a strategy for managing health conditions such as arthritis


  • Offering programs that blend social interaction and physical activity

     
   

Improving balance and preventing falls

  
       
   

Mobility limitations are associated with a higher risk for falls among elders.

 

Certain types of physical activity can help elders improve their balance and decrease their risk of injury from a fall.

 

To learn more, visit the LTSS TA Center’s webinar archive and watch:

 

 

 

  

Flu shots to help protect elders

A health care professional and an elder

People 65 and older are at high risk for flu-related hospitalization and death. To help mitigate that risk, elders and their caregivers should get a flu shot by the end of October, before flu season starts.

 

Notably, for the first time ever, three specific flu vaccines are recommended to help prevent severe illness in people 65 and older.

 

Nursing homes and other care facilities should take steps now to make sure staff members receive their annual flu shot. Resources to improve staff immunization rates are available online.

 

Resources to address long-term effects of COVID

Many people experience persistent health challenges as a result of COVID-19. Collectively referred to as long COVID, those challenges often interfere with one’s ability to work or attend school.

 

That’s why the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently published Services and Supports for Longer-Term Impacts of COVID-19 (PDF, 1.6 MB, 124 pp), a resource guide for individuals, families, caregivers, and community organizations.

 

The guide outlines the range of federal services and supports available to help people with long COVID. It also explains when long COVID may be considered a disability according to the Americans for Disabilities Act and other federal disability rights laws.

Update on the Native Elder Storytelling Project

Ms. Villarreal of Pojoaque Pueblo, New Mexico, shares her family photo in the video "Caring and Tradition" for NICOA's Native Elder Storytelling Project.

 

Earlier this year, the National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA) invited American Indian and Alaska Native elders to participate in a digital storytelling initiative. Thanks to the efforts of NICOA and a team of Native women from nDigiDreams, the Native Elder Storytelling Project videos are now available online.


In the videos, elders from across Indian Country share experiences that shaped who they are today. NICOA hopes the videos will inspire tribal communities, LTSS providers, and policymakers to consider the perspectives of elders when planning, developing, and implementing programs.

 

 
LinkedIn Tribal Affairs Group
 
Join the conversation on LinkedIn

Want to learn more about or discuss LTSS in Indian Country? Looking to connect with others working in the same field?

 

Join the Tribal Affairs Group on LinkedIn.
Upcoming webinar

Overview of CMS's LTSS TA Center

Wednesday, September 28

Register for the September 28 webinar

CMS’s Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center provides American Indian and Alaska Native communities with guidance to help plan, develop, and implement programs for elders and people with disabilities. This webinar will familiarize attendees with the TA Center’s resources, which include videos, back issues of the LTSS newsletter, and more.

 

Objectives:

 

  • Explain the audiences that the LTSS TA Center is intended for

 

  • Review the TA Center’s different sections

 

  • Highlight some of the TA Center’s resources on traditional foods and other topics

Please note your

location's call-in time:

 

8 a.m. Hawaii

10 a.m. Alaska

11 a.m. Pacific

12 p.m. Mountain

1 p.m. Central

2 p.m. Eastern

 

Have questions for our presenter? Let us know before the webinar by emailing ltssinfo@kauffmaninc.com.

Presenter
Photo of Anna Whiting Sorrell, MPA

Anna Whiting Sorrell, MPA

Subject Matter Expert

Kauffman & Associates, Inc.
Caregiver's corner

Helping elders age in place

First page of handout titled Home Repair and Modification Resources

Home modifications and repairs enable many elders to live independently for longer than they would otherwise.

 

To that end, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) supported the publication of Home Repair and Modification Resources (PDF, 727 KB, 2 pp).

 

Available on the USAging website, the handout lists examples of home modifications. It also encourages elders and their caregivers to contact ACL’s Eldercare Locator for help finding locally available home modification options.
Funding opportunities

Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation grants

Deadline: October 13
Learn more about the Reeve Foundation funding opportunity

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is offering two types of grants to improve quality of life for people living with paralysis as well as their families and caregivers:

 

  • Direct Effect grants of up to $25,000 each are available to support a wide range of projects

 

  • Priority Impact grants of up to $30,000–$50,000 each will be awarded for efforts to address priorities such as respite care, racial equity, and employment

Tribal entities are encouraged to apply. 

Rural Health Network Development Program grants

Deadline: November 22
Learn more about the rural health funding opportunity

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s Rural Health Network Development Program will fund efforts to expand access to and improve the quality of health care services in rural communities.

 

Applicants are encouraged to propose strategies that will address health disparities in populations such as racial/ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.

 

Up to 44 grants of up to $300,000 each will be awarded for a four-year performance period. Tribal organizations are encouraged to apply.
Upcoming events

Webinar on culturally competent long-term care

October 12, 1–2 p.m. Eastern

Register for the October 12 webinar

 

Plan to attend a webinar highlighting the importance of culturally competent long-term care.

 

Hosted by the American Society on Aging, the webinar will present examples of organizations that have expanded and adapted their service offerings to address the needs of a diverse population of elders.

Workshop on family dynamics in dementia care

Alzheimer's Foundation of America Logo. 20 years. 2002-2022. Making a difference.

October 19, 2–4 p.m. Eastern
Register for the October 19 workshop

Professional care partners are encouraged to join Alzheimer’s Foundation of America for Family Dynamics in Dementia Care, an interactive virtual workshop that will:

 

  • Describe dementia’s impact on family roles and relationships

 

  • Review communication strategies to help improve quality of life for care recipients and their family members

Send us your news

Do you have news to share about LTSS in Indian Country? Send it to ltssinfo@kauffmaninc.com, and we'll include it in a newsletter. Contact us with other comments or feedback, too.

 

About the newsletter

American Indian/Alaska Native Long-Term Services and Supports Solutions is published monthly by the CMS Division of Tribal Affairs to share information, funding opportunities, and resources with LTSS planners, tribal leaders, and supporters.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Indian Health ServiceAdministration for Community Living