Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

www.cms.gov

www.medicaid.gov

www.medicare.gov

LTSS Newsletter— June 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent this bulletin at 06/22/2023 09:00 AM EDT

LTSS webinar, June 28 – Seasons of Care: Maintaining Health, Part 3

American Indian/Alaska Native Long-Term Services and Supports

Technical assistance for culturally competent care

June 2023

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.

Fall prevention resources

Falls are a leading cause of injuries among people 65 and older. Those injuries include hip fractures, which can lead to death, hospitalization, and or admission to a long-term care facility.

That's why CDC's Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries (STEADI) initiative is so important. To help screen for, assess, and mitigate fall risk, STEADI offers resources such as:


		Tribal-specific fall prevention guidance

		Preventing falls can help Elders stay active and independent. To learn more, visit the LTSS TA Center and watch the webinar, Fall Prevention for Native Elders. In the webinar, a tribal injury prevention specialist covers: Four evidence-based fall prevention interventions Basic fall prevention strategies and assessments Simple activities to help keep Elders moving

Road Map for Indian Country survey

Front cover of the Road Map for Indian Country

CDC and the Alzheimer's Association are seeking input from tribal organizations to help update the Healthy Brain Initiative's Road Map for Indian Country. Interested tribal organizations are invited to complete a brief survey online.

First published four years ago, the Road Map offers public health strategies to:

Enhance wellness for Elders affected by dementia
Support family caregivers
Promote brain health across generations

Support for long-distance caregivers

The LeadingAge LTSS Center at UMass Boston is seeking volunteers to help evaluate LDCare, a program to support long-distance caregivers.

Volunteers attend seven skill-building, education, and support sessions, which are conducted remotely by licensed social workers.

People may be eligible to participate in the program if they:

Are age 21 or older
Care for someone who has dementia and receives home care
Live at least two hours away from the care recipient

Eligible caregivers receive a new tablet, which is theirs to keep.

For more information, email the project director, Evan Chunga, or principal investigator, Dr. Verena Cimarolli. Interested caregivers may also call Dr. Cimarolli at (202) 508-9411.

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

Seasons of Care: Maintaining Health, Part 3

Wednesday, June 28

From 2015 to 2022, the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation Southwest Center conducted a large, multi-phase, community-based research study in collaboration with American Indian Elders in the Southwest United States to understand their experiences with health care and health insurance. During the June 28 webinar, the team will present information on issues surrounding health care outcomes and patient satisfaction.

Objectives:

Understand the importance of having a consistent health care provider
Identify the conditions that lead to Elders not having a health care provider
Describe factors influencing satisfaction with health services

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 presenters? Let us know before the webinar by emailing ltssinfo@kauffmaninc.com.

Presenters

Emily A. Haozous, PhD, RN, FAAN
Research Scientist
Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation

Elise Trott Jaramillo, PhD
Research Scientist
Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation

Cathleen E. Willging, PhD
Center Director and Senior Research Scientist II
Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation

Caregiver's corner

Dementia care tips

Typically, people with dementia experience behavioral changes, which can be very challenging for caregivers and family members to deal with.

In observance of Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, download and share tips for managing agitation, aggression, and sundowning in people with dementia (PDF, 641 KB, 2 pp). The tips are aimed at helping caregivers:

Communicate with patience and empathy
Create a comforting and safe environment
Focus the care recipient's attention on an enjoyable activity

Funding opportunities

Alzheimer's call center

Deadline: July 7
Learn more about the Alzheimer's call center funding opportunity

The National Alzheimer's Call Center serves people with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Tribes and tribal organizations are encouraged to apply for funds for the center's continued operation.

One new cooperative agreement of up to $2 million will be awarded for a five-year performance period. The grantee will be expected to:

Use outreach and education to increase awareness of the call center
Make sure the call center is using new and emerging technologies
Explore collaborations and partnerships aimed at broadening underserved populations' access to the call center

Tribal LTSS resource center

Deadline: July 17
Learn more about the tribal LTSS resource center funding opportunity

Administration for Community Living funds are available to support a national resource center that will help tribes develop culturally appropriate LTSS. The resource center will:

Recruit and train navigators to assist tribes
Develop a practical and hands-on toolkit for tribes to implement LTSS

Approximately five cooperative agreements of up to $250,000 each will be awarded for a five-year performance period. Tribes and tribal organizations are encouraged to apply.

Upcoming events

Webinar on grief

July 12 at 1 p.m. Eastern

It is normal for Elders to experience sadness when they enter a care facility or undergo other major life changes. Join the American Society on Aging for a webinar on how to help Elders and their families navigate loss without closure and other types of grief.

48th annual USAging conference

July 16–19 in Salt Lake City

People who serve Elders are encouraged to attend this year’s annual USAging Conference and Tradeshow. The conference will cover topics such as:

Keeping Elders, caregivers, and people with disabilities socially engaged
Designing and promoting dementia-friendly communities
Managing Title VI programs in Indian Country

Webinar on hearing loss and dementia

July 19 at 1 p.m. Eastern

Research suggests that people with hearing loss may be more likely to develop dementia. Plan to attend an American Society on Aging webinar to learn about strategies to address hearing loss and build cognitive resilience.

Webinar on substance misuse and brain health

July 19 at 2 p.m. Eastern

Join the Alzheimer's Foundation of America for a webinar on the impact of substance misuse on brain health.

The webinar will highlight the need to destigmatize people who misuse substances and have dementia.

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.

You're getting this message because you subscribed to get email updates from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com.

This service is provided to you at no charge by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).