LTSS Newsletter—March 2022

Stay tuned for the next LTSS webinar in April 2022   American Indian/Alaska Native Long-Term Services and Supports SOLUTIONS Technical assistance for culturally competent care March 2022   LTSS Technical Assistance Center Visit the online LTSS TA Center for videos, best practices, toolkits, a resource library, and a step-by-step planning roadmap.     Connecting to others with compassion and empathy The pandemic has bolstered appreciation for staff in care facilities who consistently demonstrate compassion and empathy when interacting with residents and colleagues. An article in this month’s issue of Caring for the Ages recommends the following 5 best practices to enhance facility staff’s ability to connect with others: Resist the urge to give advice, tell a story, or change the subject Respond in ways that let people know they have been heard and understood Pause and avoid letting your nervous system dictate how you respond Consider other people’s experiences and what matters most to them Build relationships and adopt habits that are conducive to receiving and providing empathy on a daily basis           Honoring the contributions of nursing home staff               Restrictions on visitation to nursing homes during the pandemic brought renewed attention to the importance of having compassionate staff available to care for tribal elders. To hear first-hand accounts of how facility staff helped combat social isolation among residents in 2020–2021, watch Keeping Tribal Elders Connected – Real Stories from the Front Lines. And to learn what nursing homes can do to help attract and retain staff, watch Staffing Shortages in Tribal Facilities: Past, Present, and Future.               Mitigating the impact of climate change on elders The LeadingAge LTSS Center at the University of Massachusetts Boston recently published a report on how climate change impacts elders’ well-being (PDF, 3.3 MB, 20 pp) and what stakeholders can do to mitigate that impact. The report lists steps that health care professionals and LTSS providers can take to assist elders before and after a climate change-related disaster or extreme weather event. It also explains how the needs of elders receiving LTSS at home differ from those of elders living in long-term care facilities.     Join the conversation on LinkedIn Want to learn more about or discuss LTSS in Indian Country? Looking to connect with others working in the same field? Join the Tribal Affairs Group on LinkedIn.   Upcoming webinar   Stay tuned for the April LTSS webinar We hope you are enjoying our monthly LTSS webinars. Each month, we bring in experts from the field to share information on long-term services and supports for tribal elders and people with disabilities. Please stay tuned for our next LTSS webinar on April 27. In the meantime, please check out our November 2021 webinar, Abuse of AI/AN Elders and Vulnerable Adults.   Caregiver’s corner   Rewards and challenges of family caregiving Caring for a parent who lives at home can be both rewarding and challenging, especially for adult children who are facing their own age-related health problems. The Journal of Applied Gerontology recently published an article reviewing the results of interviews with 114 parent-child pairs (PDF, 2.8 MB, 11 pp) in which the parents were age 90 or older and their children were age 65 or older. The interviews found that the overall balance of rewards and challenges is perceived as more favorable for care recipients and less favorable for caregivers. Recognizing the need to prevent caregiving from straining parent-child relationships, the article highlights the need for: Concrete guidance from health care professionals to help caregivers navigate and prepare for a parent’s needs Mental health support for care recipients to address any feelings of guilt regarding the burden placed on their adult children An approach to support services that addresses the concerns, health, and support needs of both caregivers and care recipients in a coordinated way     Funding opportunities   DRRP Program projects Deadline: April 4 The Disability and Rehabiltation Research Projects (DRRP) Program is offering grants for efforts to improve community living and participation outcomes among people with disabilities. The research projects funding opportunity invites applicants to identify 1 or more hypotheses or research questions and perform an intensive systematic study. The development projects funding opportunity invites applicants to use knowledge and understanding gained from research to create materials, devices, systems, methods, measures, techniques, tools, prototypes, processes, or intervention protocols that benefit the community. A total of 2 research and/or development projects will be funded for a 5-year period of performance. Tribal LTSS resource center Deadline: April 27 Learn more about the Tribal LTSS Resource Center funding opportunity Funds are available for a national resource center to support the development of tribal-specific LTSS for elders and people with disabilities. The resource center will: Recruit and train navigators to assist tribes Develop a practical and hands-on toolkit for tribes to implement LTSS in their tribal communities One new cooperative agreement of up to $250,000 will be awarded for a 5-year period of performance.   Upcoming events   American Society on Aging webinars The American Society on Aging (ASA) hosts webinars to promote health and improve quality of life for elders and their families. Upcoming ASA webinars are listed below. March 28, 1–2 pm Eastern: Frailty Isn’t Final: Going from Shaky to Strong March 29, 1–2 pm Eastern: Common Respiratory Diseases in Older Adults   2022 Leadership Summit (LeadingAge) March 28–30, Washington, DC Register for the 2022 Leadership Summit Registration for the 2022 Leadership Summit is now open and will not close. You may attend and pay on the same day. Sessions will cover topics such as organizational resilience, policy updates, and improving workplace diversity. Continuing education (CE) credits will be available to attendees in CE-eligible categories.   Send us your news Do you have news to share about LTSS in Indian Country? Send it to ltssinfo@kauffmaninc.com, and we'll include it in a newsletter. Contact us with other comments or feedback, too. About the newsletter American Indian/Alaska Native Long-Term Services and Supports Solutions is published monthly by the CMS Division of Tribal Affairs to share information, funding opportunities, and resources with LTSS planners, tribal leaders, and supporters.

 

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