April showers bring May flowers. With all of the rain, we are sure to see spring flourish, birds chirping, flowers blooming, and bees buzzing. Spring has surely sprung!
The IA2 Brain Health Team continues our busy days. Special highlights from this month include:
Follow our Facebook page for campaigns and resources, and please share within your circle to help us spread the word.
In other IA2 news:
Check us out on Twitter for future campaigns and social media messages we invite you to borrow and re-use.
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.
Start with the present, then look to the past to shape the future of brain health
By: Talyah Sands, MPH, Director of Health Improvement, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
Current rates of dementia, dementia caregiving needs, and projections of what dementia could look like in the future are staggering.
The challenge to improve equitable outcomes for dementia can feel overwhelming and frustrating at times. However, here you are, tuning into IA2’s communications, underscoring your commitment to improve brain health in our world.
You know that we need and can get ahead of growing rates and disproportionate impacts of dementia within communities. Like me, you have hope.
To disrupt the current state of dementia, we must think through our past, present, and future. I am going to suggest that we start with the present.
Once we have a more complete picture of what's going on right now, we can look to the past to understand how we got here. Then we can chart a path forward to a different, improved future. In public health, starting with the present means conducting a needs assessment. This involves gathering data and information about what is going on in a community with a particular health topic.
Recently, colleagues and I at ASTHO and the Alzheimer’s Association released a toolkit to help health agencies and partners conduct needs assessments on dementia and caregiving.
We deliberately included stakeholders’ voices in the toolkit at every stage of its development-- 27 partners from local, state, federal, and national agencies provided input.
The toolkit offers five steps for conducting an assessment. The five steps are designed for people to go step-by-step or jump in at any stage and include easy to use resources like an Excel spreadsheet for tracking... don't stop reading
To read the full article about the toolkit, how to use it in your community, and the work of Talyah and her colleagues - click here.
Grantees picked one of the eight public health strategies from the Road Map that best fit their community. Work started in the fall of 2021 and will wind up in July 2022.
Recently the grantees held a meeting. They reported on two aspects of their projects—building new partnerships and progress on their road map action.
Not surprisingly, two of the grantees reported that COVID-19 restrictions have limited their progress. Tribes said they still had closed doors, and that was limiting tribal services and activities. Even so, the St. Paul Island, Alaska, community representative shared that a partnership with Southcentral Foundation had been positive.
Southcentral Foundation is an Alaska Native-owned, nonprofit health care organization serving nearly 65,000 Alaska Native and American Indian people living in Anchorage, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, and 55 rural villages in the Anchorage Service Unit.
Southcentral Foundation supplied them with some new and culturally appropriate materials on dementia and brain health. This saved them a lot of time versus having to create new bits.
Southcentral has more than 30 fact sheets for elders. Some resources of particular interest include:
In addition to COVID-19 shutdowns, staff and tribal leadership turnover have been an additional challenge. Sokaogon Chippewa has “doubled down” on having a significant brain health presence at an upcoming health fair in May.
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes (Oklahoma) aligned their work with other incoming tribal health worker training. They will introduce the topic of dementia to new workers using content from the National Indian Health Board (NIHB).
Their planning work has stimulated some tribal members and leaders to ask more questions about Alzheimer’s and brain health. One outcome is that the tribe now recognizes that this is a bigger issue than previously believed.
The timing was fortunate, as a major health planning activity was underway. This allowed for the introduction of dementia and brain health issues–not just as healthcare issues but more generally about tribal health and well-being in the tribal plan. The hope is that this will lead to some resources and ongoing work after the mini-grant ends later this year.
Are you looking to do something about dementia or brain health in your community?
Apply for ACL Alzheimer’s and Dementia Program
Cooperative Agreement grants
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) 2022 funding opportunity for the Alzheimer's Disease Programs Initiative - Grants to States and Communities program it out. Cooperative agreement grants will support and promote the development and expansion of dementia-capable home and community-based service (HCBS) systems in states and communities.
Program activities are expected to provide quality, person-centered services and supports that help individuals living with dementia and their caregiver remain independent and safe in their communities.
There are two application options contained in the single funding opportunity announcement (HHS-2022-ACL-AOA-ADPI-0059): Grants to States (Option A) and Grants to Communities (Option B).
No entity is eligible to apply for both state and community options.
Race of people given Alzheimer's blood test may affect interpretation of results
Three experimental blood tests used to identify people in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease perform differently in Black people compared to White people, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine. A fourth blood test, which is available in the U.S, was effective at detecting early Alzheimer’s disease regardless of the race of the person being tested.
Cutoffs between normal and abnormal test scores are usually set based mostly on White clinical trial volunteers.
When tests perform differently in Black (or other minority) populations it puts Black patients at disproportionate risk of misdiagnosis and they may potentially receive inappropriate medical care.
In this study, Black participants were more likely than white participants to have high blood pressure (67% versus 45%) and diabetes (28% versus 5%). Both conditions are linked to Alzheimer’s disease and may influence performance of biomarker tests.
The study was published April 21 in the journal Neurology.
Dementia Friends for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities - May 12th Info Session
IA² is offering an opportunity to participate in a virtual pilot of Dementia Friends for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities. We have been continually working with American Indian and Alaska Native communities to develop and improve the Dementia Friends content to better meet the needs of our communities.
To learn more more about the Dementia Friends Initiative, participate in a review of the materials, pilot the training content, or attend an upcoming session, please visit our Dementia Friends page by clicking here.
Indian Country ECHO Success Stories: Aging Well with Cherokee Indian Hospital's Elder Care Specialty Clinic and Dementia ECHO Program
Dr. Blythe Winchester(pictured), a physician and member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, directs geriatrics at the Cherokee Indian Hospital in North Carolina. She is committed to learning each of her patients' stories to get to know their backgrounds in order to address their needs. Dr. Winchester provides care, compassion, and support to her geriatric patients and their families.
“I realized that in geriatrics, what you care about most is a person’s story,” Blythe explained.
“The most important thing is getting to know as much as you can about that person, their background, and their history. If you know a person’s story, those preferences and the things they have been through can be accounted for in their care plan so that they can age well.”
Click to read the full story about Dr. Winchester, a member of our Brain Health Advisory Group.
Healthy Aging Highlights: The Benefits of Exercise
Research shows the benefits of exercise go beyond physical well-being. Exercise can help increase energy, reduce feelings of stress, and improve sleep. Physically activity can be beneficial in so many ways. The National Institute on Aging provides a section of Health Information on their website aimed specifically toward Exercise and Physical Activity. On the site, you will find tips on how to fit exercise and physical activity into your daily life safely and how to stay healthy as you age.
View The Emotional Benefits of Exercise video below.
Internship Opportunity - Health Equity Taskforce
Bold Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving (PHCOE-DC) is seeking two research assistants to support its Health Equity Task Force (HETF). The assistant will be part of the HETF at the University of Minnesota. This is a paid 12-month, remote, temporary position, starting in June 2022!
Register Today: Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Adult Protection Services Tenth Annual Taking a Stand Against Elder Abuse
May 18 - 19, 2022 as Shoshone Bannock Hotel & Event Center, Fort Hall, ID
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Adult Protection Services will host its tenth annual Taking a Stand Against Elder Abuse event May 18-19, 2022 at the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Hotel & Event Center. The Administration for Community Living is partnering with Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Adult Protection Services to help support this as a Training even for Title VI communities.
We are excited to see our own Dr. Jolie Crowder present at this event as part of a panel on dementia!
Download the Taking a Stand Against Elder Abuse event flyer here.
New Web Resource - 2022 Facts and Figures on Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Early Diagnosis with Highlights for Native Communities
The IA2 Brain Health team has compiled a page of facts and figures from a new report, including stats about American Indian and Alaska Native people included in the 122-page report. Did you know:
84% of AI/AN people would want to know if they had dementia during an earlier stage
Less than 1 in 4 AI/AN people are familiar with the term mild cognitive impairment
This comes from new special report by the Alzheimer's Association talks about attitudes and barriers around mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and concerns about the workforce needed to help care for people living with dementia and their caregivers.
Click HERE to view the full set of highlights and stats in our Brain Health Resource Library.
Dying with a dementia diagnosis now more common, almost half of Medicare population
According to a new study, nearly half of all older adults (47.2%) now die with a diagnosis of dementia listed on their medical record. This is up from 34.7% from almost 20 years ago.
The big increase is likely due to better public awareness, more detailed medical records, and Medicare billing practices than an actual increase in the disease.
There was a notable increase in the number of people with dementia with diabetes and kidney failure.
Fewer people die in a hospital an intensive care unit stay, but the use ventilators (breathing machines) increased slightly.
More people with dementia are
dying in the community (78.9%),
receiving hospice care (62.7%), and
fewer are dying with feeding tubes (3.7%).
Authors note the importance of older adults talking with their families and health care providers in advance about the kind of care they want at the end of life if they do develop dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or another form of cognitive decline.
The study was published April 1 in the JAMA Health Forum.
The five-step process can be done all in order or by just choosing one piece.. This allows users to enter the assessment process at any stage to inform health improvement plans, Alzheimer's-specific plans, and aging plans.
Aligned to the Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map, the toolkit embeds health equity with community health assessment. It offers approaches to include wide representation of people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, geographic locations, and levels of socioeconomic status and educational levels. Users will find fillable tools and worksheets to help get started and track progress.
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.
To disrupt the current state of dementia, we must think through our past, present, and future. I am going to suggest that we start with the present.
