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Funding opportunities, news, events, and resources for tribal and urban Indian LTSS programs
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Next LTSS webinar: Fall Prevention for Native Elders, February 24, 2021
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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.
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Long-term care models that include housing
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For elders and people with disabilities who need more care than they can receive at home, some tribes operate long-term care facilities that provide housing and LTSS. These tribal facilities offer higher levels of care close to home while prioritizing independence and traditional lifeways.
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Several common types of facilities that offer housing and LTSS include:
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Assisted living facilities: typically provide housing, meals, and some supportive and health care services
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Nursing homes/skilled nursing facilities: offer residents care and medical treatment around the clock
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Memory care units: offer housing and specialized care for people with dementia
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Adult family homes: provide personalized care to a small number of residents in a home-based setting
Learn more about different types of long-term care facilities that include housing.
Visit the CMS LTSS Technical Assistance Center’s page on facility-based care for more information on planning for a long-term care facility that fits your community’s needs.
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Program examples: Tribal long-term care facilities
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Across Indian Country, many tribes have successfully implemented LTSS facilities that fit their communities’ care needs and cultural preferences.
Tohono O’odham Nation’s Archie Hendricks Sr. Skilled Nursing Facility
This tribal nursing home offers skilled nursing care that is close to home for Tohono O’odham community members. Culture and partnerships were primary considerations in its design. Learn more about Tohono O’odham’s program (video, 05:47).
Colville Tribal Convalescent Center
Colville Tribe’s long-term care facility provides housing, a range of LTSS, and all-day nursing care for both long-term residents and those who need temporary support following a surgery or injury. Learn how this tribally operated facility prioritizes the emotional, social, and spiritual needs of patients (video, 02:18).
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Protecting tribal communities through COVID-19 vaccination
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Now that many tribal and Indian Health Service facilities are offering COVID-19 vaccines for health care providers, getting vaccinated is an important way to keep elders and other vulnerable community members safe during the pandemic.
Unlike some other vaccines, the COVID-19 vaccines do not actually carry any version of the virus. Instead, they carry a protein that mimics the spikes of the virus so our immune systems learn to recognize the actual virus and fight it off. Some side effects are possible, but in recognition of the importance of protecting elders and others in the community, vaccinations are a crucial safeguard.
Tribes across the country have rolled out the vaccines with great success, quickly reaching the most vulnerable citizens in their communities. For example, Navajo Nation, which at one point had the highest COVID-19 infection rate in the United States, has provided at least one dose of the vaccine to more than 1 in 4 residents.
 Flu vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends waiting 14 days between getting the flu vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine to ensure both vaccines are as effective as possible. Learn more about flu vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic with the National Indian Health Board's webinar recording.
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Supporting brain health during emergencies
The National Indian Health Board is creating a toolkit on how to support brain health during emergencies. They are requesting tribal examples of policies with promising practices on this topic. Examples can be sent to Karrie Joseph (kjoseph@nihb.org).
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Tips to reduce sundowning behaviors
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Sundowning is a behavior that people who have dementia may show in the evening, as the sun sets for the day. Symptoms vary, but can include anger, fear, confusion, paranoia, depression, restlessness, and wandering.
First Nations Home Health recommends documenting sundowning patterns to figure out what might trigger symptoms, which may provide clearer ideas on how to avoid them. Check out the infographic below for more tips on how to avoid sundowning triggers.
Learn more about dementia in tribal communities on the CMS LTSS TA Center.
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CMS Quality Conference
CMS is hosting the annual quality conference virtually this year. On March 2 and 3, join CMS and a variety of speakers to discuss how to improve the quality of care.
Topics range from COVID-19 recovery to nursing home infection control to best practices for data and analytics.
You can view the agenda or register for this free event on the CMS website.
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Understanding the needs of family caregivers
Millions of elders and people with disabilities receive care from a family member, and the number of family caregivers is especially high in Indian Country. Often, unpaid family caregivers assume responsibility for specialized tasks, such as medication management and complex medical care, without the benefit of any training.
A recent post in the Gerontology Institute Blog highlights a project intended to better understand the types of supports that family caregivers need. Based on caregiver feedback, the project team identified the following urgent priorities and will soon publish a plan for addressing them:
- Caregiver training and coordination
- Adult daycare services
- Direct pay or tax incentives
- Respite care
- Technology for observing a loved one’s safety at home
In Indian Country, many tribes have designed their own programs for supporting caregivers. See examples of tribal caregiver support programs on the CMS LTSS Technical Assistance Center.
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Challenges of aging during COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, anxiety and depression stemming from social isolation are increasingly impacting elders’ mental health.
To help address these issues and protect elders against the virus, the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation recently recorded a webinar titled The Challenges of Aging During COVID-19: Long-Term Care, Vaccination and Isolation. The webinar offers actionable strategies to:
- Connect elders with community resources that help address loneliness, including local community health specialists and programs that pair elders with younger community members who interact with them regularly
- Facilitate elders’ access to COVID-19 testing sites and vaccination clinics, such as by partnering with pharmacies to provide these services
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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.
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Fall Prevention for Native Elders
TODAY, Wednesday, February 24, 2021
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Sixtus Dominguez, a tribal injury prevention specialist, will share strategies, activities, and interventions that can support injury prevention and independence for Native elders.
Participants will learn:
- about 4 evidence-based fall prevention interventions
- basic fall prevention strategies and assessments
- some simple activities to help keep elders moving and independent
Have questions for our presenter? Let us know before the webinar by emailing ltssinfo@kauffmaninc.com.
Register now.
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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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Sixtus Dominguez
Tribal Injury Prevention Program Coordinator,
Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board, Inc.
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ACL ADA grants
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research is accepting applications for funding through its Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) Program: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) National Network and Knowledge Translation Center.
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ADA National Network Grants
Application due date: March 15
Apply for an ACL DRRP ADA National Network grants
The DRRP Program: ADA National Network improves understanding of individuals’ and entities’ rights and responsibilities under the ADA through outreach, training, technical assistance, information dissemination, capacity building, and research.
ACL plans to award up to 10 grants for up to $1,246,000 each.
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ADA Knowledge Translation Center Grant
Application due date: March 15
Apply for the ACL DRRP ADA Knowledge Translation Center grant
The DRRP Program: ADA Knowledge Translation Center improves knowledge translation and conducts related activities in collaboration with ADA National Network grantees. These activities advance a wide range of independent living and employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with significant disabilities.
ACL plans to award one grant of up to $850,000.
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ACL National Paralysis Resource Center Quality of Life Grant Program
Application due date: March 16
Apply for ACL’s National Paralysis Resource Center grants
The ACL National Paralysis Resource Center is accepting applications for its Quality of Life Program. This program fosters inclusion, community engagement, and health and wellness for people living with paralysis.
ACL plans to award at least 36 grants of up to $25,000.
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HRSA Evidence-Based Telehealth Network Grant Program
Application due date: April 2
Apply for HRSA’s Evidence-Based Telehealth Network Program
The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy is accepting applications for the Evidence-Based Telehealth Network Program. This program’s goals are two-fold:
- demonstrate how health networks can increase access to health care services through telehealth
- create an evidence base of the effectiveness of telehealth care for patients, providers, and payers
HRSA plans to award up to $350,000 per year for 5 years to up to 14 awardees.
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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.
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.
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