Copy
View email in your browser
No webinar in November. Join us in December for the NCL Survey of Title VI Programs
Long-Term Services and Supports
Technical assistance for culturally competent care
Top Banner Graphic
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.
Get email updates
Join us on linkedin
Follow us on twitter
November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month
Hands Approximately 1.7 million Americans with life-limiting illnesses receive hospice care each year. However, Native populations often underutilize hospice services. A 2014 study of Medicare patients dying from cancer found 54% of American Indian patients chose hospice care compared to 65% of white patients, and that continued efforts are needed to improve access to culturally relevant hospice care.
During National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, a variety of organizations are encouraging people to learn more about how palliative care and hospice can help people with serious or life-limiting illnesses live as fully as possible, surrounded and supported by loved ones and skilled healthcare workers. Find National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization resources online at www.nhpco.org.
Triangle  
  LTSS TA Center: Culturally competent hospice care
 
  How are Native communities providing hospice and palliative care?
 
A needs assessment can answer this question, and the LTSS Technical Assistance Center can guide you through this process. Understand your community’s needs and start developing a plan to address them using available resources.
   
Visit “Hospice and Palliative Care” on the LTSS Research page.
Featured Video
What Works For Us: Culture and Community
Some 90% of elder care in Indian Country is provided not by an organization or program, but by a family member. Is your tribe considering a caregiver support program? You’ll find tribal leader and program administrator views about using culture to support community services. Watch the video What Works for Us: Culture and Community.
What Works For Us: Culture and Community
Grant Opportunity: Culturally Specific Caregiver Support
National Family Caregivers Month The National Institute of Nursing Research, part of the National Institutes of Health, is planning to award research grants for strategies and tools that promote the health of informal (non-paid) caregivers. There will be four grants of up to $350,000 per year for 5 years. The application closing date is March 3, 2016. See Promoting Caregiver Health Using Self-Management for more information on applying.
Meanwhile, here is some help for caregivers: The Family Caregiver Toolbox from the Caregiver Action Network contains 20 different resources on topics such as medication management, financial planning, Medicare, support groups, communications, caregiver depression, and more. The United Hospital Fund is offering A Family Caregiver’s Guide to Electronic Organizers, Monitors, Sensors, and Apps, which provides information and guidance about the use of technology services, products, and software to help family caregivers.
Uncontrolled Diabetes is Common Among Seniors
November is National Diabetes Month. Recent research shows that only a third of seniors with diabetes are meeting the targets for blood glucose control, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Cover for Using Our Wit and Wisdom to Live Well With DiabetesResearchers say the study points to the need for better diabetes services. But it also raises questions about the value of broad guidelines for glucose and blood pressure control in elders, suggesting that, instead, more personalized factors—such as how long someone has had the disease and how old they are—should take priority in deciding treatments.

5 Ways to Help Seniors with Diabetes (Diabetes Forecast Magazine)

Using Our Wit and Wisdom to Live Well With Diabetes (3-CD audio book, Indian Health Service)
Launch of the Native One-Stop Portal
Native One Stop Portal Home Page Screenshot A new website portal, Native One-Stop, provides information and resources about services available to Native American, Alaska Native, and tribal populations through the federal government. Native One-Stop conveniently houses any service that these populations may need with topics ranging from assistance for populations with severe disabilities to Congressional internships for Native Americans.
Visit Native One-Stop.
Linked In Logo
Join the conversation on LinkedIn
Find additional articles, research, and resources on hospice and palliative care on the CMS Tribal Affairs Group on LinkedIn. Let us know which issues you'd like to hear about.
Join the group and join the conversation.
Upcoming Webinar
Understanding the Results of the 2014 Survey of ACL Title VI Program Participants
Wednesday, December 16
There will be no monthly LTSS webinar in November.
We will be back on December 16 at 2 p.m. eastern time with an overview and analysis of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging’s 2014 survey of Title VI Native American programs. The survey examines everything from services and funding sources to partnerships and elder abuse prevention initiatives. We’ll cover the features and services of programs surveyed, talk about innovations in care delivery and service expansion, and answer questions.
Learn More
Register
Send Us Your News
Do you have news to share about LTSS in Indian Country? Send it to ltss@kauffmaninc.com, and we’ll include it in a newsletter. Contact us with other comments or feedback, too.
About the Newsletter
Long-Term Services and Supports Solutions is published monthly by the Tribal Affairs Division of CMS to share information, funding opportunities, and resources with LTSS planners, tribal leaders, and supporters.
CMS Logo
IHS Logo
ACL Logo