LTSS Newsletter— January 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent this bulletin at 01/23/2023 09:00 AM EST

LTSS Webinar, January 25 – Seasons of Care: Assisting American Indian Elders with Health Care Access
American Indian/Alaska Native Long-Term Services and Supports

Technical assistance for culturally competent care
January 2023
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Emergency preparedness for people with dementia

Public health agencies and their partners, such as Area Agencies on Aging, play a key role in supporting people with dementia and their family caregivers before, during, and after natural disasters.

That role is explored in a recorded webinar, Natural Disasters and Dementia Caregivers: A Roundtable Discussion on Public Health Action.

Hosted by the Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving, the webinar highlights the importance of:

  • Conducting targeted outreach to caregivers of people with dementia

  • Working with caregivers to complete individualized disaster preparedness assessments in advance

  • Setting up evacuation sites that anticipate the needs of people with dementia

  • Developing a process to follow in the event a caregiver is separated from their person with dementia

     
   

Emergency preparedness in tribal nursing homes

  
       
   

Having a comprehensive, well-rehearsed emergency preparedness plan in place can help keep nursing home residents safe and comfortable during a natural disaster.

 

CMS’s emergency preparedness best practices report (PDF, 613 KB, 14 pp) reviews steps taken by five tribal nursing homes to prepare residents and staff for fires, floods, extreme weather, and power or water outages.

 

Those steps include:

 

  • Developing an emergency preparedness plan in accordance with CMS regulations and standards
  • Partnering with other entities to provide evacuation sites
  • Conducting disaster drills and emergency preparedness training
  • Reviewing the emergency preparedness plan annually and updating it as needed

 

  

Protecting elders from RSV

Many people assume that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection only affects young children. However, RSV also causes severe illness in elders, especially those with weakened immune systems or chronic conditions that affect the heart or lungs.

 

Work is underway to develop a vaccine against RSV. In the meantime, you can help elders lower their risk of catching RSV by:

 

  • Washing or sanitizing your hands often
  • Disinfecting doorknobs and other surfaces that are touched frequently
  • Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing
  • Staying at home when you are sick
 Elder in a hospital bed with two health care professionals standing nearby

 

For more information, download CDC’s RSV fact sheet (PDF, 280 KB, 1 p).

Medicare coverage of COVID-19 tests

As COVID-19 transmission continues, please remind elders and their families that during the public health emergency, people with Medicare can get up to eight over-the-counter COVID tests each month at no cost.

 

The tests can be used at home and are available at participating pharmacies.

 
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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.
Upcoming webinar

Seasons of Care: Assisting American Indian Elders with Health Care Access

Wednesday, January 25

This webinar will provide an overview of the Seasons of Care project. From 2015 to 2022, the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation-Southwest Center conducted community-based research in collaboration with American Indian elders in the Southwest to understand their experiences with health care and health insurance. Drawing from survey results and interviews, the team developed a culturally friendly, web-based health resource guide for health navigators, family members, and patients.

 

Objectives:

 

  • Identify historical and systemic conditions that influence access to health care for American Indian elders

 

  • Describe American Indian elders’ perspectives on health, wellness, and accessing health care

 

  • Name at least two feasible and culturally congruent approaches for aiding American Indian elders when addressing barriers to health care

Please note your

location's call-in time:

 

9 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
Dr. Emily Haozous

Emily A. Haozous, PhD, RN, FAAN

Research Scientist

Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
Dr. Elise Trott Jaramillo

Elise Trott Jaramillo, PhD

Associate Research Scientist

Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
Dr. Cathleen Willging

Cathleen E. Willging, PhD

Center Director and Senior Research Scientist II

Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
Caregiver's corner

Supporting caregivers of people with dementia

Caring for a family member with dementia can be especially challenging, especially for people who are experiencing health issues or strained family relationships.

 

A journal article reviews the results of research focused on how family members of Alaska Native elders with dementia cope with the stress of caregiving. Interviews with those family members suggest that caregivers may feel less isolated when they have access to culturally responsive programs and supports involving:

 

  • Traditional arts and crafts
  • Transportation for berry picking excursions
  • Caregiver support programs offered in Native languages
  • Gatherings where traditional foods are served

 

The interviews also highlight the need for adequate respite care to help prevent caregiver burnout.

 
Funding opportunities

U.S. DOT offers RAISE grants

Applications due: Tuesday, February 28
Learn more about the RAISE funding opportunity

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is offering $1.5 billion in Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants for freight and passenger transportation infrastructure projects.

 

Proposed projects should prioritize safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, mobility, and community connectivity. Tribes are encouraged to apply.
Upcoming events

Virtual forum on mental health equity among elders

January 30–February 2
3–4:15 p.m. Eastern each day

Register for the virtual forum

 

The American Society on Aging will host a four-day online event highlighting the need for equitable and inclusive mental health services for elders. The event offers opportunities to:

 

  • Discuss key mental health equity challenges that elders face
  • Hear about strategies to address suicide and substance abuse among elders

 

Webinar on the ethics of work with elders

February 1, 1–2 p.m. Eastern

Register for the February 1 webinar

 

Plan to attend Ethical Decision Making for Working with Older Adults. Hosted by the American Society on Aging, the webinar is intended to enhance attendees’ ability to:

 

  • Advocate for elders
  • Support elders’ independence and dignity
  • Help prevent neglect and abuse

 

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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