Across hundreds of communities throughout the country, families and caregivers walk alongside elders every day, honoring their memories, their stories, and their lives. The Indian Health Service (IHS), Tribal nations, and urban Indian health programs share a commitment to strengthening the systems of care that support them.
Today’s release of the updated National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease, reflects a comprehensive, coordinated approach to meet the current and future needs of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and those who care for them.
Dementia care is deeply personal, with an impact that extends far beyond the exam room. It is also a growing national public health issue that calls for strong systems of care, a prepared workforce, practical resources, and sustained investment. As communities navigate memory changes, early detection, care planning, and caregiver support can support care that respects personal wishes, family roles, cultural traditions, and community priorities.
Expanding Dementia Care Through Local Action and National Investment
Across American Indian and Alaska Native communities, local programs are expanding dementia services in rural and urban settings. Grant investments from the IHS Alzheimer's Program provide resources to help communities develop approaches that reflect local needs, priorities, and cultures.
This fall, Tribal and urban Indian health programs will receive more than $3.3 million in IHS Models of Care grant funding to strengthen local dementia care over the upcoming year. Newly awarded programs, including the Kenaitze Indian Tribe and the Indian Family Health Clinic of Great Falls, are developing efforts focused on early recognition, care-team communication, and culturally grounded caregiver support. Their work shows how local leadership and IHS funding can support care close to home.
IHS is also investing in regional and national efforts to build stronger clinical systems and community capacity, including up to:
- $750,000 to support coordinated dementia care projects, training, technical assistance, and shared learning through the Dementia CAReS
- $300,000 to develop a Dementia Caregiver Support and Training Center.
- $800,000 for selected Tribal Epidemiology Centers to improve dementia-related data, identify needs, and support clinical quality improvement and models of care.
IHS plans to announce the new CAReS awards in November.
Encouraging Conversations Through Community-Centered Tools
The IHS Alzheimer's Program also offers educational resources for American Indian and Alaska Native audiences.
Its growing library of educational videos addresses timely diagnosis, early detection, advance care planning, and cognitive screening. These videos encourage open and supportive conversations with families about memory changes.
Featured videos include:
- Supporting Accurate and Timely Dementia Diagnosis explains efforts to support timely dementia diagnosis and how Tribes and organizations can get involved.
- Every Moment Matters shows how early detection gives families time to plan, prepare, and find support.
- Advance Care Plans: Honoring Wishes and Traditions features providers and family members discussing how advance care planning can honor personal wishes, family roles, and cultural traditions.
- Mini-Cog Training Videos include four short modules showing staff how to use the Mini?Cog screening tool.
These and other videos are available through the IHS Alzheimer’s Program website and IHS YouTube channel, making them easy to view and share with care teams, families, and communities.
Preparing the Workforce for Dementia Care
Strengthening dementia care also means supporting health care professionals who provide that care. Across the country, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and other clinicians are participating in programs such as the Geriatric Nurse Fellowship and Indian Health GeriScholars.
This year, the IHS Alzheimer’s Program launched the Clinical Dementia Training Series to build care team knowledge and confidence in delivering high-quality dementia care. The IHS Dementia Care Pathway, a four-step primary care approach to detection, evaluation, diagnosis, and discussion, was incorporated throughout much of the series to help integrate evidence-based dementia care into routine practice, along with culturally responsive communication, caregiver support, and care planning that respects personal wishes and family traditions. Since its January launch, the series has held 73 sessions across six health care fields, reaching nearly 700 registrants.
These programs strengthen staff skills in early detection and diagnosis, medication safety, behavioral health care, billing and reimbursement, caregiver support, and other areas of elder care. They also prepare clinicians to provide care that recognizes the values, traditions, goals, and individual needs of the people they serve.
Looking Ahead
The IHS Alzheimer's Program, with support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is developing clinical tools focused on dementia care, Medicare Annual Wellness Visits, and other elder care priorities. In 2027, IHS plans to use these tools in academic detailing training to help participants bring evidence-based education back to their health systems. Work will also support routine cognitive assessments, advance care planning, and related training and technical assistance.
We are also excited to invite partners, providers, and communities to save the date for the upcoming April 2027 Alzheimer’s and Elder Health Summit. Additional information will be shared as it becomes available.
At the heart of these national and local efforts, caring for an elder experiencing memory loss is one of the most profound ways families and communities care for one another. Tribal nations and urban Indian health programs are building approaches to dementia care based on their own community needs, cultures, traditions, and priorities. IHS is honored to support those efforts.
Together, we are working toward a future where every elder is seen, known, and cared for in the fullness of who they are.
