Increasing Dementia Knowledge and Skills in Primary Care and Public Health Nursing
When Josea Kramer, Ph.D., began working at the Veterans Health Administration (VA), she asked, “How can the VA and the Indian Health Service (IHS) work together to improve care for elders?” After the VA and IHS agreed to share certain resources, such as education, that answer became clear.
As the Associate Director for Education/Evaluation of a Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Dr. Kramer founded and directs VA Geriatric Scholars Program. This national VA workforce development program educates healthcare professionals working in primary care clinics to improve healthcare for older people. These licensed healthcare professionals include doctors, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, psychologists, social workers, and rehabilitation therapists. The Geriatric Scholars Program courses and webinars are accredited for continuing education (CME/CEU) for VA and non-VA clinicians.
Improving the knowledge and skills of healthcare and aging services professionals to recognize the signs and symptoms of dementia, and the best ways to support families and caregivers of older adults with dementia are part of the eight strategies outlined in the CDC’s Road Map for Indian Country.
Two of the Geriatric Scholars Program courses offered to IHS and Tribal Health Programs address the strategy for workforce enhancement: Rural Interdisciplinary Team Training (RITT) and a new program called Addressing Challenging Behaviors with Dementia (ABCD) that was created for IHS public health nurses and staff. The two training programs work together to support a community approach for IHS and Tribal Health Programs.
RITT, the interdisciplinary training, empowers all members of the team-- clinicians, clerks, others who interact with elders -- to recognize and address nine health or safety concerns that should be discussed during a primary care visit.
The newer ABCD program builds on public health nursing skills in primary prevention. These nurses already engage the community to manage diabetes and high blood pressure and promote brain health. Recognizing that they also are or will be working with community members who experience memory disorders, ABCD aims to enhance secondary prevention, including how to recognize signs and symptoms of dementia in someone who has not yet been diagnosed, and tertiary prevention, including home safety and support for caregivers in managing challenging behaviors and their own self-care. The course is supplemented by monthly telephone consultation calls and case conferences for participants. A nationally recognized expert in dementia care leads it.
Want to learn more about the RITT and ABCD training programs and how to bring them to your community?
We are very excited to share our November updates. Like every month, IA2 has been busy!
Our amazing team:
Participated in two sessions at the CDC BOLD and Healthy Brain Initiative Annual Grantee meeting.
Executive Director, Dave Baldridge, presented on the CDC Foundation's Search. Find. Help. webinar regarding the challenges and successes of American Indian and Alaska Native communities in their battle against COVID - 19.
Hosted Savvy Caregiver for Indian Country NICOA Conference participants to discuss use of the intervention in local communities and future needs
Put new-found social media skills learned last month during the American Public Health Association Meeting to work:
>>Follow our new Facebook page and share - we could REALLY use the support! >>Figured out how to find analytics on Twitter... 5,426 impressions in Nov & 1,000+ folks checked out our profile
Hosted a Healthy Brain Website Talking Circle to receive feedback and insight into user experience of our recently launched Brain Health website.
Board President, Bill Benson provided a keynote for the New Mexico 43rd Annual Conference on Aging
IA2 's Dr. Jolie Crowder in partnership with Valerie Tsosie (So'Tsoh Foundation) and Ron Eppes (Alzheimer's Assocation New Mexico) spoke at a virtual session at the New Mexico Conference on Dementia Resources and Services from local to national.
Dr. Jolie Crowder joined by Casey Acklin from the Dementia Engagement, Education, and Research Program (University of Nevada, Reno) provided a second presentation at the New Mexico Conference that offered a sneak peek of the newly adapted Dementia Friends information session content specifically for American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Participated in Indian Country Echo Sessions. This is a monthly series with sessions offered for Caregivers and Community staff and a second offering for healthcare clinicians from the I/T/U health system. To view past sessions or learn more about upcoming sessions click here.
IA2 continues to offer print-on-demand stipends of $250 for flyers and posters from the IA2, ASTHO, and National Council for Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) suite of materials developed with funding from the CDC.
Click here to read the rest of our Resource Center update, learn about our upcoming events, and what we've been doing to help American Indian and Alaska Native communities address brain health, Alzheimer's, and dementia this past month.
Mary Ann Franks, our amazing Public Health Communications Associate, is off the next two weeks to Hawaii for her destination wedding with family and friends.Best wishes for an amazing time and an even more amazing life's journey with Norm.
Annie Ferguson, our fab-o Public Health Communications Assistant, is set to graduate from Montana State in just a few short weeks. We are anxiously awaiting CONFIRMATION of her acceptance to all of the medical schools she has applied to for next year. Congrats and enjoy this major milestone!
Dementia Support Group Facilitator Training
for Tribal and Alaska Native Staff and Community Members
December 14th
We are pleased to host a training offered through the generosity of our friends at Alzheimer's Los Angeles. The Dementia Support Group Facilitator Training is for people interested in becoming a facilitator of a dementia-specific support group. Professionals and lay people (community members) are welcome. This session provides a discussion of the purpose and value of support groups, information on starting and maintaining a support group as well as an understanding of group dynamics and the group process.
Objectives: After attending this course, the participant will know:
The purpose of a support group
How to start a group
How to market and maintain a support group
How to manage group dynamics and facilitate the group process
Presenters: Zina Paris, MSW, Director of Clinical Services, Alzheimer’s Los Angeles &
Anne Oh, MSG, Manager of Support Groups and Activity Programs, Alzheimer’s Los Angeles
To Register: Call Anne Oh, Manager of Support Groups and Activity Programs, at (323) 930-6271 or, email the following information to aoh@alzla.org.
For more information and resources about this or other caregiving resources visit theIA² Caregiving website.
IA² Advisory Council Feature: Joseph Ray (Laguna/Zuni Pueblo, Maidu)
The survival of the American Indian People is the most important reason I choose to be involved with IA2. It goes that deep, my reasons why. So many of the kids I grew up with aren’t living in our town. We have a MAJOR housing shortage in Indian Country communities. They have moved to the city: Albuquerque, mostly.
I am fortunate to still live in the town I grew up in, but it’s not easy. I work in different arenas advocating for services for American Indians with Disabilities, educating about the importance of having the least restrictive environment to participate in activities of daily life.
Given the opportunity to speak on behalf of my peers, I am also a voting services Coordinator on my Reservation. The intersection of Disability and the importance of voting brought me to this place. Legislative bodies are slow to act. The plight of American Indian Elders and people with Disabilities is a cause near and dear to me.
IA² Hosts First Virtual Dementia Friends Information Session & Champions Training In December by Master Trainers from University of Nevada Reno
Join Us And Change The Way American Indian and Alaska Native People View and Respond to Dementia
Dementia Friends is a global movement that aims to change the way people view dementia. This program has been adapted specifically for American Indian and Alaska Native people and communities.
By educating communities about what dementia is and how it affects people, we can all make a difference for people affected by dementia.
Dementia Friends helps spread awareness, reduce stigma about memory loss and dementia, and provides tips for reducing risk for tribal members, Alaskan Natives and urban-Indian people.
"Dementia Champions" attend a short training after attending an information session and receive training resources to become certified conduct scripted trainings in their own communities starting the very next day!
American Indian and Alaska Native people are growing older and living longer, which means we are also seeing an increase in the number of persons with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. This growth also results in more family members setting into the role of a caregiver, which they may not be adequately prepared to do. Jordan P. Lewis, Aleut, and the Associate Director of the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth campus, is committed to partnering with American Indian and Alaska Native communities to determine how best to support their caregivers.
As an Alaska Native, Jordan understands the importance of cultural values, practices, and traditional foods in American Indian and Alaska Native health and well-being. For the past 14 years, he has explored Indigenous understandings of successful aging and what enables people to transition from growing older into Eldership or achieving the status of Elder.
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Jordan is currently working with two Tribal Nations in Minnesota to culturally adapt the Savvy Caregiver Program to integrate cultural activities that help caregivers and care recipients achieve contented involvement.
Don't miss the rest of this month's blog and learn about the Savvy Caregiver adaptation work. Click below to continue reading.
HFC Offers Drop In Online Support Groups for Caregivers of People Living with Dementia
IA² is now featuring HFC's (former Hilarity for Charity) free online drop-in support groups for family and friends of people with dementia or memory problems.
To view and learn more about these opportunities click here.
If the times on our calendar do not fit your schedule, HFC offers other days and times. View their full calendar by clicking here.
Visit the IA² websiteto learn more about these and other services, resources, or events.
Regjster Today
Family members and other unpaid friends and neighbors in the community are actively involved every day in caring for people living with dementia.
However, they remain largely hidden in the healthcare setting and under-served. Hear from experts in healthcare and community practice about promising practices and opportunities to identify and help family caregivers across clinical, community and public health settings.
Ask a Clinical Question Tool - Quality clinical advice is now just a click away! Using our Clinical Question Tool, you will receive a rapid response to your pressing clinical questions. Simply click on the chatbox, located on the lower right hand of each page of the new website, and submit your question.
MyECHO - This personalized ECHO account allows you to save useful resources and keep track of upcoming trainings you are interested in attending.
Quick Links to Online Clinics - Late for an ECHO? Don't sweat it. Now just visit our homepage and click on the ticker on the top of the page. It will take you directly to clinics taking place.
To learn more about Indian Country ECHO and to join the movement to bring quality healthcare to Indian Country, visit IndianCountryECHO.org or email our team at echo@npaihb.org.
This content has been re-printed from the Indian Country ECHO newsletter.
New Deadline for UIOs to Participate
in NEUNAS 1.0
The deadline to complete the Native Urban Elder Needs Assessment Survey (NUENAS 1.0) has been extended to June 30, 2022.
The Coalition on Urban Indian Aging (CoUIA) is conducting the survey to learn more about the health and wellness of Native elders who live in urban settings.
Urban Indian organizations (UIOs) that participate in NUENAS 1.0 will receive a $250 honorarium and up to $2,500 in incentives for elders who complete the survey. Once the survey’s results have been collected and analyzed, each participating UIO will be given:
• Infographics providing snapshots of their data
• A customized comparison of their data with aggregated tribal and national data
• A report summarizing the results of NUENAS 1.0 To learn more about the survey, email CoUIA or visit CoUIA’s website
Connect & share with other American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Contact us to share Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and brain health community news, resources, information, and promising practices happening in your community or others.
Brain health e-News for and by American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
This e-news is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $348,711 with 90 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
American Indian and Alaska Native people are growing older and living longer, which means we are also seeing an increase in the number of persons with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. This growth also results in more family members setting into the role of a caregiver, which they may not be adequately prepared to do. 
The deadline to complete the Native Urban Elder Needs Assessment Survey (NUENAS 1.0) has been extended to June 30, 2022.
