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LTSS Training and Technical Assistance Center
Visit the online LTSS TA Center for videos, best practices, toolkits, a resource library, and a step-by-step planning roadmap.
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Traditional foods
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Traditional foods are an important link to honor elders and help nursing home residents and elder dining program participants feel at home. They are more satisfied with their dining experience because they enjoy foods that are familiar and culturally significant to them.
When elders are served food they want and like, they eat more of it and are also better able to maintain a healthy weight.
Tribes can save money and reap community-building benefits by producing traditional foods themselves—through tribal farms, ranching activities, or even smaller-scale gardens at nursing facilities.
“Tribal Nursing Home Best Practices: Traditional Foods,” (PDF, 1.6 MB, 12 pp) a CMS report, details the benefits of traditional foods and ways tribes can begin serving them to elders through long-term services and supports (LTSS) programs.
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New traditional foods video
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In a new series of videos, Kiowa-Choctaw artist and filmmaker Steven Paul Judd describes ways tribes can provide long-term care to elders and people with disabilities.
The video, “Traditional Foods for Tribal Elders,” highlights ways tribes can incorporate traditional foods like salmon, wild game, and wild roots into their nursing home or senior dining program menus.
Learn more by viewing the archived CMS LTSS webinar "Tribal Nursing Homes: Traditional Foods, Traditional Lives."
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National Title VI program survey results
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Through its National Title VI Program Survey conducted every 2 to 3 years, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging looks to better understand trends, directions, and needs of Title VI programs in providing long-term services and supports (LTSS) to tribal elders across the United States. This year, the survey gauged programmatic interest in LTSS and Medicaid billing for LTSS.
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Alongside those listed in the graphic above, some key survey findings from the National Title VI Program Survey 2017 Report (PDF, 2.7 MB, 32 pp) show that:
- LTSS most often offered by Title VI programs are congregate and home-delivered meals, information and referral assistance, and outreach
- the average Title VI program has approximately 4 full-time staff, 4 part-time staff, and 4 volunteers
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Apply for NACCHO’s disability technical assistance program
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The National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO) is accepting applications for its Disability Technical Assistance Program. The program helps local health departments, including tribal health departments, increase program and service accessibility for people with disabilities.
NACCHO will help health departments accepted into the technical assistance program meet their individual needs by helping identify action items and appropriate tools and resources.
Learn more and apply. The deadline is Nov. 30, 2017.
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Resources for elder care
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The National Indigenous Elder Justice Initiative and the National Resource Center on Native American Aging (NRCNAA) seek to improve care for elders across Indian Country through elder abuse prevention and tailored LTSS programs.
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Preventing elder abuse
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Not all elder abuse is obvious, and it may stem from a range of experiences from physical and mental abuse to neglect and abandonment. The National Indigenous Elder Justice Initiative’s online training module provides an interactive resource that breaks down different forms of elder abuse.
The module emphasizes the importance of culturally tailored language. For example, elders were more responsive to words like "disrespect" over "abuse" or "bothered" over "sexual abuse."
Tailoring care for American Indian elders
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NRCNAA provides resources on tailored elder care and assessing elders’ needs, such as:
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In case you missed it: Title IV and Medicaid reimbursement
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Watch the September 2017 LTSS webinar, "Building LTSS through Title VI Programs: Medicaid Billing." Elaina Seep, Chief Operating Officer of Red Earth Consulting Group, presented on how tribes and providers can bill Medicaid to ease financial limitations for LTSS equipment and programs.
Seep explains the differences between Title VI and Medicaid, including who qualifies, program requirements, and how reimbursements are processed. By the end of the webinar, you will learn about Title VI services and tribal pathways to sustainable LTSS.
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Engaging AI/AN elders in falls prevention
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Alongside the direct risk to physical health, falling can also lead to fear of falling again, which may affect physical health, mental health, and loneliness. Falls for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) elders are reported more than falls of other races and ethnicities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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New Medicare cards to help prevent identity theft
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In April 2018, CMS will begin mailing Medicare cards that no longer include social security numbers. This initiative will help protect elders from identity theft. Beneficiaries do not need to do anything to receive new cards, and the new card will not affect Medicare coverage or benefits. Share the CMS Medicare card messaging guidelines (PDF, 106 KB, 3 pp) to start the conversation with elders.
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To prevent identity theft, remind elders:
- to guard their cards
- to only discuss personal information with their caregivers
- that Medicare will not ask for personal or private information to issue new cards
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Navigate the redesigned LTSS Technical Assistance Center
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
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According to the Administration on Aging, the 2020 American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) elder population will have increased by 75% from 2010. LTSS programs help AI/AN elders and those with disabilities become more independent at home or in a facility.
Join us on October 25 as our panelists navigate the redesigned LTSS Technical Assistance Center, which provides tools and information specifically for tribal LTSS programs. They will explain how to find and use reports, webinars, community toolkits, and more to improve your program’s capacity for LTSS.
Watch CMS’s videos on LTSS funding and LTSS program planning.
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| Webinar Objectives |
- Learn about new technical assistance resources and tools that reflect your needs, culture, and values
- Provide feedback on the website’s design, layout, and content
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Please note your
location's call-in time:
8 a.m. Hawaii
10 a.m. Alaska
11 a.m. Pacific
11 a.m. Arizona
12 p.m. Mountain
1 p.m. Central
2 p.m. Eastern
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| Presenters |
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Jonathan Collins, M.P.H.
Project Manager
Kauffman & Associates, Inc.
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Katie Terra
Technical Writer
Kauffman & Associates, Inc.
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Have questions for our panelists? Let us know before the webinar by emailing ltssinfo@kauffmaninc.com, or ask your question during the Q&A session of the webinar.
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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 and join the conversation.
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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.
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About the Newsletter
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.
Download Adobe Reader for the best reading experience with PDF files.
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