Posts related to American Indians/Alaska Native Elders

NICOA Hosts Focus Groups with American Indian Caregivers

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by Kayla Sawyer and Rebecca Owl Morgan

Earlier this year, the National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA) had the opportunity to host several focus groups with American Indian family caregivers in New Mexico. NICOA organized four focus groups with a total of 31 participants. The purpose of the groups was to learn more about these caregivers’ experiences helping an older family member or friend who has health problems and disabilities. During the focus groups, we learned about their caregiving duties, the challenges they face, and their encounters with healthcare professionals.

Our focus groups revealed how caregivers’ lives are impacted by their role as caregivers. Many American Indian caregivers spoke about skipping appointments and neglecting their own.... Read More

             

Homeownership in Indian Country

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by Kayla Sawyer. This article originally appeared on the NICOA blog.

Expanding affordable homeownership is a central component to sustainable economic and community development. Yet on many reservations, homeownership remains an unexplored option. For several generations, housing stock on American Indian reservations has been limited and deficient, adding to the already dire housing crisis throughout Indian Country.

According to the Census Bureau, in 2016, just 52.9 percent of all Native people were homeowners, down from 55.5 percent in 2000. Yet in tribal areas, 75 percent report a strong desire to own their home.

.... Read More
             

National Family Caregivers Month: Strength and Resilience

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November is a very special month. It marks the month of Thanksgiving, where millions of families and friends across the United States gather to give thanks, show appreciation for one another, and feast. November also marks National Family Caregivers Month, a time to recognize the people taking care of the ones they love. Although National Family Caregivers Month is not as widely celebrated as Thanksgiving, it is just as important for millions of families across the United States. Along with expressing gratitude for family caregivers, National Family Caregivers Month is a time to highlight the issues of family caregivers, provide resources, and to advocate for supportive policies and programs.

There are many issues that family caregivers.... Read More

             

National Native American Heritage Month

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This article originally appeared on the NICOA blog.

National Native American Heritage Month is a time to recognize the histories, invaluable contributions and livelihood of American Indian and Alaska Native people in the United States. It is an opportunity to educate the general public about tribes, their cultures, traditions and languages. Use this time to highlight the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and presently, as well as the ways in which tribal citizens have overcome these challenges.

One of the earliest proponents of a day honoring American Indians was Dr. Arthur Caswell Parker,.... Read More

             

Caregivers Need Support for their Diverse Needs

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by Scott Bane, Program Officer, The John A. Hartford Foundation. This article originally appeared on The John A. Hartford Foundation’s “What We’re Learning” blog.

Dear Colleagues—

Family caregivers provide an estimated $470 billion in unpaid care each year. All family caregivers need more support, but the diverse needs of family caregivers have not been fully appreciated. Thanks to research supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation, we’re learning a lot more about the diversity of family caregivers in this country and how we can better support them.

Family caregivers are represented in all races, ethnicities, ages, sexualities, gender.... Read More

             

The Movement For Indigenous Peoples’ Day

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This content was originally published by NPR. Click here to listen to the Latino USA podcast.

In the U.S., the second Monday in October is reserved for Columbus Day, in honor of the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus.

But not everyone is on board with celebrating Columbus. His colonization of the “new world” led to the bloodshed of Indigenous people and while he did arrive to the Americas, he never set foot in North America. So how did this federal holiday in the U.S. come to be?

Over the past few decades, there has been a growing local movement in cities and states throughout the country, to officially replace the federal holiday of Columbus Day with a.... Read More

             

Recording Available for Health Disparities Webinar with the All of Us Research Program

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In case you missed our webinar on health research and health disparities with the All of Us Research Program, a recording of this webinar is now available here. Just enter your name and email address and you will be able to watch the full presentation at any time!

This webinar was rich, informative, and inspiring. Thank you to our co-presenters:

Christina Pacheco JD, Director of Policy, National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) Keisha Lewis OT, Program Coordinator, National Caucus and Center on Black Aging (NCBA)

And thank you.... Read More

             

Submit a Workshop Proposal for NICOA’s 2020 American Indian Aging Conference!

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You are invited to submit a proposal to present at the National Indian Council on Aging’s 2020 American Indian Aging Conference. The conference will be held August 17-20, 2020 in Reno, Nevada at the Nugget Resort & Casino (1100 Nugget Avenue, Sparks, NV 89431).

Reno has been called “the biggest little city in the world” and is often described as a small Las Vegas. Located in northwestern Nevada near the California state line, Reno is the second largest city in the state.

Boasting more than five million.... Read More

             

Elders Come for Indian Day at the National Senior Games

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by Kayla Sawyer. This article originally appeared on the NICOA blog.

The National Senior Games Association (NSGA) came to Albuquerque from June 14-25, attracting a record number of 13,712 athletes from 50 states (plus an estimated 15,000 family members and friends), and setting more than 202 new records. This was the first year the Games were held in New Mexico, and it was the largest in National Senior Games 32-year history.

June 17 was a particularly special day of the Games — set aside to honor American Indian and Alaska Native elder athletes. With many details and logistical components,.... Read More

             

Sleep Is Crucial to Healthy Aging

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by Kayla Sawyer. This article originally appeared on the NICOA blog.

It is a common misconception that sleep needs decline with age. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that 61-64-year-olds get seven to nine hours, and adults 65 and older get seven to eight hours.

Unfortunately, as people age they tend to have a harder time falling asleep and more trouble staying asleep. Older people spend more time in the lighter stages of sleep than in deep sleep. They also experience an overall decline in REM sleep and an increase in sleep fragmentation.

.... Read More
             

Honey: A Story of Defeating PTSD

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by Chunxiang Jin. This article originally appeared in the World Journal. To read the original article in Chinese, click here.

Cheryl “Honey” Dupris has multiple identities. She is a strong woman, a Native American, a paratrooper, and an Iraq war and Afghanistan war veteran who suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

However, Honey is not the typical PTSD sufferer. She embraces the illness, bravely speaks out about her feelings, and works to enjoy every moment in life. If you talk and hang out with her, you would not even realize that she is a victim of PTSD. Instead, you would notice her vivacious laughter and squeals at a party, her unique fist bump with strangers, and.... Read More

             
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