July 2021Newsletter

July 2021

We hope you enjoy these monthly updates. For more information about UNITE and to learn about membership benefits, visit UNITENatives.org.

We are always looking for new and exciting news to share with our group. If you have any submissions or suggestions for next month’s edition, please contact Debbie Dyjak at djddyjak@gmail.com.

Content for the next issue is due the last Wednesday of this month.

UNITE updates

Note from UNITE’s President

UNITE continues to meet monthly as a board of directors and quarterly as a membership. The next quarterly membership call will be in September. These calls are held on the third Thursday of the month at 3 pm eastern. Tribes, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, individuals, and business affiliates committed to excellence in geriatric care for tribal elders are welcome to join. All memberships include a corresponding membership in LeadingAge, a UNITE partner organization.

Thank you to UNITE panelists who shared their stories about care challenges related to COVID-19 recommendations and mandates during the CMS LTSS webinar on May 26. UNITE will also host the next LTSS webinar on July 28.

UNITE continues to educate about and advocate for the rights of tribal elders. Thank you to Dr. Kendall Brune, our guest speaker at the June 17 UNITE membership meeting. UNITE appreciates Dr. Brune’s expertise and wisdom.

– Debbie Dyjak, RN, UNITE 2021 President
djddyjak@gmail.com

Save the dates: UNITE meetings

The UNITE Board of Directors meets on the third Thursday of each month. The UNITE membership meets on a quarterly basis.

Construction at the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal Care Center

Construction of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal Care Center is well underway in Flandreau, SD. It will be a 42-bed facility that will provide nursing services for tribal elders and have a memory care unit.

Construction of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal Care Center
Photos courtesy of Jared Denton

Enjoying patio games at Morning Star

Staff at Morning Star helped their residents enjoy some sunny weather by setting up some games on the patio.

Morning Star residents enjoy board games and tic tac toe on the patio
Photos courtesy of Tami Reed

Oglala Sioux Lakota Nursing Home Memory Care Unit

In June 2020, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, Oglala Sioux Lakota Nursing Home opened the doors to its 12-bed, state-of-the-art memory care unit.

The mission of Oglala Sioux Lakota Nursing Home’s memory care unit is “to provide a safe and caring environment with dignity and support for our residents and their families through the stages of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.”

The memory care unit’s philosophy is to offer “residents the opportunity to age in place by understanding the importance of consistency in care while providing a safe and familiar environment to those with memory impairment.”

The memory care unit is located at 7835 Elder Dr, State Highway 87, Rushville, NE 69360. Their phone number is (308) 862–4020, and their fax number is (308) 862–4024.

Inside Oglala Sioux Lakota Nursing Home’s Memory Care Unit
Photos courtesy of Oglala Sioux Lakota Nursing Home

Trainings and webinars

Learning objectives:

• Learn the top 10 staffing challenges for tribal nursing homes and assisted living facilities
• Discuss past and present roles of nurse staffing agencies
• Learn about financial incentives during the pandemic and their impact on staffing shortages
• Hear about future staffing opportunities for tribal elder care

Have questions for our presenters? Let us know before the webinar by emailing ltssinfo@kauffmaninc.com.

Panelists

Panelists will comprise nursing home and assisted living facility administrators and directors.

Updates from LeadingAge

Public opinion poll: Investing in aging services for older adults

Recent polling commissioned by LeadingAge showed that a majority of Americans say government should prioritize older adults. They believe that the government should immediately begin efforts to provide older adults with the support and resources they need to lead fulfilling lives. Learn more about the key findings:

• Research memo from 3W Insights (PDF, 90 KB, 2 pp)
• Key findings slides (PDF, 2.2 MB, 17 pp)
• Social share graphics

Federal, state, and local news

Funding opportunity: Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity

Deadline: August 16
Learn more: Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity funding opportunity (MP-CPI-21-007)

The Office of Minority Health (OMH) is seeking applicants for a Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity funding opportunity. The Center will support education, service and policy development, and research related to advancing sustainable solutions to address health disparities and advance health equity in Native communities. OMH plans to award between $500,000 to $1,000,000 per grantee.

Join UNITE

Uniting Nursing Homes in Tribal Excellence (UNITE), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has been advocating for tribal long-term care since 2014. Become a member and help us ensure quality of life and care for tribal elders through education and advocacy. Learn about membership benefits and how to become a member.

Join the UNITE email list

Collaborating Times is published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Division of Tribal Affairs to share resources, success stories, and related information for UNITE members and others interested in tribal long-term services and supports (LTSS).

Visit the UNITE page of the CMS LTSS Technical Assistance Center to find conference call and webinar recordings, tribal nursing home information, and reports on promising practices for tribal nursing homes.

This publication was supported by GS-00F-0012S/HHSM-500-2016-00065G awarded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services or the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.