Together Strong: Strengthening dementia capable Tribal Communities through knowledge sharing and culturally relevant training. - The Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center (GLITEC), a department of the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council (GLITC), serves 34 federally recognized Tribes, four urban Indian communities, and three Indian Health Service units in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Chicago, collectively called the Bemidji Area. GLITEC currently provides evidence-based dementia programming in Tribal communities and is well-positioned to expand outreach services for culturally responsive dementia care and education. With this funding, our goals are to expand GLITC’s “Together Strong” Tribal Dementia Program, a comprehensive and sustainable network of education, referral, and person-centered services to support Tribal members, their family, caregivers, and the dedicated Tribal staff who walk alongside them. We hope to enable them to remain independent, safe, and at home in their communities. To accomplish these goals over the three-year project, our objectives are to 1) improve GLITC’s model for dementia awareness and education based on community input 2) expand services by adding an evidence-based caregiver training, and 3) develop a dementia and brain health-specific Technical Assistance process. Milestones include interviews with Tribal stakeholders, piloting delivery of refined programming, hosting a series of “Meeting-of-the-Minds” events, and launching a dementia-specific technical assistance request platform. Key outcomes are enhanced staff knowledge and caregiver confidence, reduced caregiver burden, improved quality of life for people with dementia, and the development of a sustainable and culturally relevant dementia program for Tribal communities. Products include expanded training, educational guides, and outreach items.
