The National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA) has received a $215,145 grant from the Administration for Community Living. It is one of six-cooperative agreements totaling $1,150,160 to provide targeted technical assistance to the aging services network to better meet the needs of elders from diverse communities. The program is titled “Strengthening Aging Services for Minority Populations Through Technical Assistance, Resource Development, and Program Coordination.”
The Minority Organization TARC Program will provide targeted technical assistance and training to the aging services network and other relevant stakeholders and consumers. Program activities will focus on elder populations, including American Indians. NICOA is partnering with AARP, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, ADvancing States, and the National Resource Center on Native American Aging, to implement a three-level strategy to expand and increase services to American Indian and Alaska Native elders over the next three years.
The goal of this project is to increase services to American Indian people by increasing the awareness and sensitivity of elder service providers and by providing training and technical assistance on the needs of Native elders. The objectives are: 1) to educate national, regional, state, and local service providers on the protocol for collaborating with tribes; 2) to increase the skill level of service providers on needs, services, and resources for Native elders with disabilities; 3) to expand NICOA’s existing electronic resources available to tribes, Native and other service organizations, caregivers, and volunteers on service provisions for Native elders.
The anticipated outcome is that services to Native elders will be more comprehensive and increase by 25 percent. The expected products from the project are electronic and direct contact training modules for non-Native service providers on working with tribes and Native elders, a comprehensive toolkit on resources and services for Native elders with disabilities with companion electronic and direct contact training on use of the toolkit, and expanding the electronic resources available to NICOA’s target population on issues impacting Native elders, resources, and provision of services for Native elders.
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