News and Announcements
NATIONAL NATIVE FAMILY CAREGIVERS MONTH
Join IHS in recognizing all the amazing Native family caregivers this November. You are a caregiver if you are caring for someone who needs help because of a health problem or disability. You are not alone. One in three American Indian and Alaska Native adults is a caregiver. Culture is the great connector between caregivers and their loved ones. Caring for family is a deeply held value across many cultures.
- National Family Caregivers Month – National Council on Aging
- Caregiver health resources – Alzheimer's Association®
- To learn more or find local contact information for your Tribal elder program to see if there is meal and caregiving help available, visit ACL's Older Indians website.
- To learn more about how to take care of yourself, visit the CDC's Aging webpages.
Site Visit with Santo Domingo Pueblo Tribe: Advancing Dementia Care
On November 19, 2024, the Indian Health Service Alzheimer’s Team visited Santo Domingo Pueblo in New Mexico to collaborate with the Community Health Representative (CHR) Program and Kewa Pueblo Health Corporation. The visit focused on enhancing dementia care through the Alzheimer’s Models of Care grant, which helps equip providers with essential dementia management tools. The CHR team is dedicated to empowering caregivers and fostering connections.
The team toured Santo Domingo Pueblo’s villages, experiencing the beauty of cultural sites, historical landmarks, and agricultural traditions. The community’s warm hospitality and commitment to supporting those affected by dementia showcased the strength of their language and culture, highlighting a hopeful future for dementia care in the region.
CDC-IHS Partner on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) Study
A new collaborative study from the Indian Health Service, CDC, and the Alzheimer's Association has been released that provides dementia estimates among American Indian and Alaska Native populations. This is the first study of ADRD among Native populations who receive medical care at IHS, tribal, and urban Indian organization programs or through Purchased/Referred Care.
The research finds that 14% of American Indian and Alaska Native IHS patients had early-onset dementia (between the ages of 45 and 64) during the study period from 2016 through 2020. This emphasizes the importance of discussing the signs and symptoms of dementia with patients starting in middle age, especially for clinicians who work with IHS or American Indian and Alaska Native patients. It's important for patients to know memory loss or trouble with thinking that disrupts their daily lives is not a normal part of aging. The data provides a baseline to assess future progress for IHS and other efforts addressing ADRD in Native communities.
Discover more findings from this newly released research.
Read the letter to IHS partners [PDF - 459 KB] about the study findings and implications.
NEWS ARCHIVE
CHR Dementia Screening Special Initiative Pilot Launches
The Community Health Representative (CHR) Program, in partnership with the Alzheimer's Grant Program in the Division of Clinical and Community Services, launched the CHR Dementia Screening Special Initiative Pilot to utilize the Mini-Cog© Screening Tool in American Indian and Alaska Native communities in January 2024.
This program is modeled after the successful Division of Oral Health Mini-Cog© screening pilot, which recently kicked off its second cohort. This six-month pilot program runs until June 30, 2024. Program participants include:
- Albuquerque Area: Santo Domingo Pueblo CHR Program
- California Area: Northern Valley Indian Health
- Great Plains Area: Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe CHR Program
- Oklahoma City Area: Citizen Potawatomi Nation Health Services/CHR
- Phoenix Area: San Carlos Apache CHR
- Portland Area: Nimiipuu Health Community Health
IHS Blog Post by the Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Program for Alzheimer's Awareness Month
June is Alzheimer's Awareness Month. Visit the IHS Newsroom's blog section for a feature on IHS Alzheimer's Grants: Helping Put the Puzzle Together for Tribal and Urban Indian Communities.
IHS Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation Cohort
The IHS Division of Nursing Services, in partnership with the Alzheimer's Grant Program, offers technical assistance, access to existing training resources, and reimbursement of accreditation fees for IHS, tribal, and urban emergency departments interested in seeking geriatric ED accreditation. The 2024 cohort joins the nine IHS and tribal EDs that have already achieved the Level 3 – Bronze accreditation offered by the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Why participate? The number of Native older adults ages 65 and older is expected to triple in the next 30 years, with those 85 years and older growing even quicker. As age increases, so does the number of ED visits. Geriatric accredited EDs reduce the chance of avoidable patient admissions and re-visits while improving patient outcomes and satisfaction. To learn more about GEDA or how to participate in the next cohort, email Ardith Aspaas at or visit our GEDA page.
Indian Health Service Team: IHS Awards $1.5 Million to Address Alzheimer's Disease on World Alzheimer's Day
On World Alzheimer's Day, September 21, the IHS reaffirmed its commitment to building tribal and urban Indian health system capacity to address Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias by announcing $1.5 million in eight new cooperative agreements. The IHS Alzheimer’s Grant Program aims to develop and enhance models that incorporate comprehensive approaches to care and service for people living with dementia and their caregivers. Total funding for both years of the new 2-year grants is estimated at $3 million.
Alzheimer Grant Program Site Visits
In July and September 2023, the IHS Elder Health Team conducted site visits with the four Dementia Models of Care grantee programs. Read more about the focus and value of these visits.
May is Older Americans Month
The May 2023 #OlderAmericansMonth theme was "Aging Unbound," exploring a wide range of aging experiences and promoting the importance of enjoying independence and fulfillment as we age. Read the White House Proclamation on Older Americans Month, 2023 . IHS posted graphics and messages, including submissions from tribal elders, friends and families across IHS social media channels throughout the month. To learn more about 2023 Older Americans Month, visit the Administration for Community Living (ACL) Administration on Aging.
HHS Addressing Disparities and Risk Reduction for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease: 2022 Update . Through the Plan, HHS and its federal partners are working to improve research on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), increase support for people living with dementia and their caregivers, and encourage action to reduce risk factors.
Alzheimer's Association: Navajo Tribal Member Coordinates Alzheimer's Training Through IHS
The Alzheimer's Association has posted a blog post on Valerie Jones, elder health care data coordinator with IHS and a member of the Navajo Nation. The post shares how the Association and the IHS are working together to address and improve the health and well-being of American Indians and Alaska Natives living with Alzheimer's disease and all other dementias, and their caregivers.
