LTSS Newsletter—June 2025

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent this bulletin at 06/23/2025 09:00 AM EDT

LTSS webinar, June 25 – Navigating Dementia: Community Services at Home
American Indian/Alaska Native Long-Term Services and Supports

Technical assistance for tribal health care
June 2025
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 X

June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month

People living with dementia and or disabilities are at elevated risk for elder abuse.

The risk of abuse also increases in situations where an elder’s primary caregiver consistently feels overwhelmed or has trouble controlling their anger.

Help safeguard elders’ well-being by:

 
     
   

Addressing elder abuse in Indian Country

  
       
   

Elder abuse is under-reported and a growing concern across Indian Country.

 

To learn more, visit the LTSS TA Center’s Elder Abuse Prevention page, which offers:

 

  • Profiles of tribal programs that offer elder abuse prevention services
  • Fact sheets and webinars to help LTSS program staff prevent, recognize, and report elder abuse

 

Also, read the International Association for Indigenous Aging’s overview of jurisdictional issues concerning elder abuse in tribal communities (PDF, 18.2 MB, 2 pp).

 

  

Helping people navigate public transportation

Many elders and people with disabilities rely on public transportation to access medical care or stay socially connected.

 

Accessing and using public transportation independently can be intimidating for new users. Providing clear, tailored instructions may benefit riders who need additional training or guidance.

 

For more information, read a recent National Aging and Disability Transportation Center blog post, which:

 

  • Reviews the skills that travel instructors can expect to develop by completing a certification program
  • Provides an example of travel instructions to help people with Down syndrome navigate public transportation on their own

 
Content marked as decorative will not expose a description to screen readers.
 
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

Navigating Dementia: Community Services at Home

Wednesday, June 25

This webinar will highlight the Spirit Lake Tribe’s home- and community-based services (HCBS) system for people with dementia and their caregivers. The multifaceted program creates dementia-capable homes by helping elders with memory loss access comprehensive, coordinated support within their own community.

 

Objectives:

 

  • Discuss the tribe’s development and implementation of a dementia-capable HCBS system that provides access to relevant information, person-centered care, and streamlined eligibility for services
  • Describe how the tribe trains elders, caregivers, health care professionals, first responders, and HCBS providers to recognize when dementia-specific services might be appropriate
  • Explain how the tribe’s information system helps meet the needs of Native elders with dementia

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.

Register now.

Presenters
Shaylynn DeMarrias.

Shaylynn DeMarrias
Dementia Program Coordinator
Spirit Lake Senior Services
Iris Walking Eagle.

Iris Walking Eagle
Director of Budget & Grants
Spirit Lake Senior Services
Caregiver's corner

Hilarity for Charity Caregiver Road Trip
Content marked as decorative will not expose a description to screen readers.

Planning ahead for the dementia care journey may pose new challenges for the typical family caregiver. To address those challenges, Hilarity for Charity’s interactive resource, Caregiver Road Trip, offers:

 

  • Tips for starting and normalizing conversations about a care recipient’s brain health and legal affairs
  • A checklist of items to include in an emergency kit for hospital stays due to falls or chronic conditions
  • Suggestions to help caregivers temper their expectations and adjust to a new normal
  • A step-by-step guide to recognizing and managing dementia-related behaviors, which will likely change as dementia progresses

 
Funding opportunities

Tribal HUD-VASH Expansion Grants

Applications due: August 15
Learn more about the Tribal HUD-VASH funding opportunity (PDF, 65 KB, 11 pp)
Submit applications via grants.gov

 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Expansion Grants support efforts to reduce the number of Native veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

 

HUD anticipates making seven awards of about $300,000 each. Tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities are welcome to apply. View the 2018 Consolidation Notice (PDF, 229 KB, 10 pp) for a complete list of program requirements.

 

Disaster reimbursement and assistance

Applications due: September 2
Learn more about the disaster reimbursement and assistance funding opportunity

 

In the event of a major disaster in their geographic area, tribal organizations receiving a grant under Title VI of the Older Americans Act may be eligible to apply for disaster reimbursement and assistance funds. Before applying, potential grantees should consult:

 

  • State and local emergency managers
  • Administration for Community Living regional staff, if available

 
Upcoming events

American Society on Aging webinars

The American Society on Aging hosts webinars to help improve quality of life for elders and their families. Each webinar will start at 1 p.m. Eastern. Dates and topics of upcoming webinars are listed below.

 

 

Alzheimer’s Foundation of America webinar

July 16 at 2 p.m. Eastern
Register for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America webinar

 

Join the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America for an interactive webinar, Alzheimer’s Disease: Beyond Signs and Symptoms. Topics covered include the:

 

  • Role of physical health, trauma, social support, and other factors in a care recipient’s experience with Alzheimer’s disease
  • Financial and emotional impact of Alzheimer’s disease on caregivers
  • Relationship between distressing behaviors and unmet needs

 

50th annual USAging Conference and Tradeshow

July 20–23
Chicago, Illinois
Register for the USAging event

 

Make plans now to attend this summer’s USAging Conference and Tradeshow. Sessions, workshops, and roundtables will cover topics such as:

 

  • Best practices for engaging with tribes
  • Elder justice
  • Transportation access in rural and tribal communities

 

Circle of Harmony HIV/AIDS Wellness Conference
Content marked as decorative will not expose a description to screen readers.

August 26–28
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Register for the Circle of Harmony Conference

 

Plan to attend the Circle of Harmony HIV/AIDS Wellness Conference, which will address HIV/AIDS services and related syndemic impacts from an Indigenous perspective. The conference’s theme is “Cultural Threads of HIV Wellness: Weaving Healing, Partnerships, and Care.”

 

Send us your news

Do you have news to share about LTSS in Indian Country? Send it to LTSSinfo@kauffmaninc.com for possible inclusion in an upcoming 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