LTSS Newsletter—November 2025

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent this bulletin at 11/19/2025 10:31 AM EST

Stay tuned for the next LTSS webinar
American Indian/Alaska Native Long-Term Services and Supports

Technical assistance for tribal health care
November 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

Alzheimer’s awareness success story

In observance of National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, learn how a partnership addressed the needs of people impacted by dementia in the Aleut community of St. Paul Island, Alaska (PDF, 353 KB, 2 pp).

The community’s Department of Healing and Wellness and a local tribal health organization worked to coordinate services and improve communication. As a result, the community now has access to:
  • A resource to help people understand what healthy aging looks like
  • Training for caregivers and aging-services staff to increase awareness of dementia warning signs, diagnosis, and treatment options
  • Local brain healthy foods via programs for elders and food demonstration courses
  • Education on mental health, sleep quality, and nutrition

 

 
     
   

Brain health and dementia awareness

  
       
   

Dementia affects families in every tribal community. As the number of elders living with dementia increases, so should efforts to promote brain health and raise awareness of the needs of people experiencing memory loss.

 

To learn more about some of those efforts, visit the LTSS TA Center and view four brief videos:

 

 

Additionally, watch the webinar Stronger Together – Dementia Awareness Program, which highlights the role of community health representatives in a nonprofit tribal health organization’s approach to dementia care.

 

  

Supporting people newly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
Page 1 of the resource, Next Steps After an Alzheimer's Diagnosis.

Being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is life changing. Having accurate information and support gives newly diagnosed people and their families a better idea of what to expect and what to do next.

 

To that end, the National Institute on Aging offers Next Steps After an Alzheimer’s Diagnosis, a two-page resource that covers topics such as:

 

  • Making legal, financial, and long-term care plans
  • Exploring ways to make routine tasks easier
  • Staying safe at home and behind the wheel
  • Choosing a healthy lifestyle

 

Meeting younger care facility residents’ needs

The transition to facility-based long-term care can be especially challenging for younger adults with disabilities or other health issues. An article in Caring for the Ages highlights ways to improve quality of life for that population. The recommendations include:

 

  • Factoring flexibility and social relationships into care facility design
  • Using interviews, photography, and storytelling to help identify younger residents’ priorities, interests, and goals
  • Offering age-appropriate activities, such as computer-based video games
  • Encouraging staff members to alter their usual care patterns to accommodate later meals and bedtimes for younger residents

 
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

Stay tuned for the next LTSS webinar

There will be no LTSS webinar in November. Check back soon for more information about the next webinar.

 

In the meantime, visit the LTSS TA Center to view archived LTSS webinars, such as Intergenerational Transmission of Traditional Practices and Foodways.

 
Caregiver's corner

Navigating transitions in the context of dementia care

Adapting to change becomes increasingly difficult for people living with dementia as their cognitive impairment progresses. For that reason, day-to-day transitions—e.g., transporting someone with dementia to an appointment or activity outside the home—can be a significant source of stress for family caregivers.

 

Laura Vaillancourt, a licensed mental health counselor and geriatric mental health specialist, highlights ways to help alleviate that stress in Navigating Transitional Stress. During the 34-minute podcast episode, she discusses the importance of:

 

  • Building both consistency and flexibility into routines
  • Remembering that a care recipient subconsciously picks up on their caregiver’s worry or stress
  • Considering how a care recipient’s typical reaction to change may be shaped by their past experiences

 

The episode is part of the Dementia Untangled podcast series, which offers practical advice from dementia care experts. The series is produced by Banner Alzheimer’s Institute and Banner Sun Health Research Institute.

 

Dementia Untangled podcast logo.

 
Funding opportunities

Tribal transportation safety

Applications due: January 15, 2026
View the tribal transportation safety funding opportunity

 

The Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund is offering discretionary grants for efforts to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries due to motor vehicle crashes and other transportation-related incidents.

 

Grants will be awarded to federally recognized tribes for projects in the following categories:

 

  • Transportation safety plans
  • Data assessment, improvement, and analysis activities
  • Systemic roadway departure countermeasures
  • Infrastructure improvements

 

Virtual Living Room grants to improve care for veterans

Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
View the Virtual Living Room funding opportunity

 

Virtual Living Room, a Foundation for Rural Service program, offers grants to help veterans in rural areas get online access to skilled health care providers in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical system. Grantees must:

 

  • Be members of NTCA: The Rural Broadband Association
  • Be located more than an hour away from a VA clinic or hospital
  • Have an established relationship with their local VA site
  • Have access to a physical space that offers privacy, broadband, and adequate electrical connections for a computer workstation, lamps, and other equipment

 
Upcoming events

Webinar: Storytelling as a path to healing

November 20, 2–3 p.m. Eastern, online
Register for An Introduction to Narrative Therapy: Storytelling as a Path to Healing

 

Narrative therapy focuses on personal and community stories to foster resilience and well-being. Join the National Council of Urban Indian Health for a webinar highlighting strategies to integrate culturally responsive narrative therapy into behavioral health services for American Indian and Alaska Native people.

 

Virtual event: Coming-of-old-age film screening

November 20, 8–9:40 p.m. Eastern, online
Watch the trailer and register to view the film, Familiar Touch

 

View a “coming-of-old-age” film about an elder’s relationships with herself, her family, and her caregivers as she navigates the transition into assisted living. Presented by AARP, the virtual film screening is open to the public, including non-AARP members.

 

Cover image for the trailer of the film, Familiar Touch, features the character Ruth enjoying a meal.

 

Webinar: Winter home safety for elders

December 3, 1–2 p.m. Eastern, online
Register for Winter Home Safety: Preparing for a Safe and Cozy Season

 

Attend a webinar on the importance of making homes safe for elders during winter weather conditions. During the webinar, a gerontologist and caregiving advocate will provide recommendations for how to:

 

  • Identify and address potential hazards in preparation for severe weather
  • Share safety concerns with elders and their caregivers

 

Webinar: Technology to monitor health

December 11, 1–2 p.m. Eastern, online
Register for Using Technology to Spot Health Declines Before They Escalate

 

Using technology to detect early signs of health changes in elders can help prevent crises and hospitalizations. Attend a webinar that will explore how the integration of health monitoring technology into care plans can improve outcomes for people aging in place.

 

American Society on Aging conference

April 20–23, 2026
Atlanta, Georgia
Register by November 30, 2025, for early bird pricing

 

Join the American Society on Aging for their annual On Aging conference. The theme for 2026 is “The Power of Belonging: Amplifying Voices, Advancing Justice, Accelerating Connection.” Explore sessions on Medicaid enrollment benefits for American Indian and Alaska Native elders, artificial intelligence and elder care, attracting donors, and more.

 

Native American Healthcare Conference

June 16–17, 2026
Temecula, California
Register by January 9, 2026, for the “super early bird” rates

 

Join the 16th annual Native American Healthcare Conference to explore treatments, technology, and future trends of tribal health care. This conference is open to health care directors, decision-makers, and tribal leaders.

 

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