We have received questions and concerns about COVID-19 (also known as the coronavirus) and whether the National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA) is considering cancelling the 2020 American Indian Elders Conference scheduled for August 17-21 in Reno, Nevada. We understand your concerns and want you to be assured that NICOA has no intention of cancelling the conference.

At this time, NICOA continues to plan for the conference, with registrations increasing each day. While the risk of contracting the coronavirus in the U.S. is low, NICOA’s first priority is the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone involved in the event. We are monitoring the situation and will follow the advice of the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Nevada Department of Public Health.

The National Indian Council on Aging, in partnership with the National Resource Center on Native American Aging, the American Association of Retired Persons, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and other key stakeholders, is in the process of establishing a Tribal Long-Term Services and Supports National Resource Center (TLTSSNRC). The goal of this project is to empower tribal communities to develop and/or expand long-term services and supports (LTSS) for American Indian and Alaska Native elders and persons with disabilities in their local communities.

Objectives are to design and launch the TLTSSNRC website to provide culturally competent community-based information, to establish a LTSS data clearinghouse through the TLTSSNRC website, to develop public information materials and implement a Tribal Navigator Program to provide LTSS assistance nationally to local tribal communities, to develop a Project Advisory Committee to include local American Indian and Alaska Native voices to assist LTSS planning development, to promote and enable LTSS development through partnerships and collaborations with tribal communities, and to develop a strategic plan for TLTSSNRC sustainability and secure needed resources.

Outcomes include expanded local home and community-based services for elders and persons with disabilities, culturally sensitive, person-centered care that addresses local service provision preferences nationally, access for tribal communities, service providers and other stakeholders to LTSS information and resources, and a sustainability plan supporting the project in the future.

Products are the Tribal Long-Term Services and Supports National Resource Center, LTSS Data Clearinghouse, LTSS outreach materials, an interactive map, key partnerships and collaborations, a Project Advisory Committee, a system of LTSS Tribal Navigators, LTSS toolkit, the TLTSSNRC website and survey.

Advertise in NICOA's 2020 American Indian Elders Conference program book, which is distributed to nearly 4,000 conference attendees. The conference program is an important 40-50 page publication. This high-visibility publication is used by conference attendees throughout the five-day conference, and many keep it as a resource to refer to throughout the year. Reserve your spot now and increase your business during the conference!

Sponsorship comes with amazing benefits like a free pass to the cultural dinner and fashion show, complimentary registration, exhibit booth space, one full-page color ad in our conference program, recognition on our website and bimonthly newsletter, an opportunity to present an educational workshop for elders, and more.

Check out our Conference Sponsorship Package to fill out an application, read about the various packages and benefits and view a tentative conference agenda.

NICOA will be convening weekly calls with all Title VI grantees about the coronavirus (COVID-19). These calls will provide new information and updates to tribal programs, but most importantly are an opportunity for tribes to discuss the impact that COVID-19 is having in your communities.

The Administration for Community Living will be on all calls, as will resource centers from the National Indigenous Elder Justice Initiative, the University of Alaska, the University of Hawaii and the University of North Dakota.

Please make every effort to join us each week. This is an unbelievable, but very real emergency. Let’s all work together to provide the latest information and best care to our tribal elders.

CALL DETAILS:

Weekly on Fridays at 3 p.m. EDT

Next Call: Friday, April 3, 2020 at 3 p.m. EDT

Conference phone number: 888-788-6210

Passcode: 7368121

Membership with NICOA offers many valuable benefits. As a paid member, you will receive NICOA’s online bimonthly newsletter, legislative updates on important issues and resolutions affecting elders, voting privileges for qualified members and discounted registration fees for qualified members to attend our biennial conferences. Be an important part of a national membership network and become a NICOA member by applying online or by mail.

The 2020 Census is an opportunity to provide a better future for our communities and future generations. A complete and accurate count of American Indians and Alaska Natives throughout the U.S. contributes to better planning and decision-making for Indian Country, and helps determine how billions of dollars in federal funding is distributed to communities and tribes for programs and grants.

Census data is the basis for the federal funding allocations of more than $675 billion annually, of which $1 billion is dedicated to Indian Country. These funds are used to build tribal housing and make improvements, maintain and construct roads and provide employment and training programs.

American Indian and Alaska Natives have the highest undercount of any ethnic group. Nationally, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Natives living on reservations or in villages were undercounted by approximately 4.9 percent in the 2010 census, more than double the undercount rate of the next closest population group.

In the 2020 Census, individuals and households will have the opportunity to self-identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. They also will be able to now write in up to six tribal affiliations on the form. Make sure to write in your enrolled or principal tribe(s) if applicable. You can look it up on the tribal website or ask your tribe about their preference in how their name is written.

An individual’s response is based upon self-identification. No proof is required. No one will ask you to show a tribal enrollment card or a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood.

Many Native people can claim descent from several tribes. Their parents or grandparents may have belonged to different tribes. However, most tribes currently do not permit “dual enrollment,” or membership in more than one tribe.

The tribe in which the person is enrolled should be the first tribe listed. Filling out these questions on the census form will help ensure that the 2020 Census is accurate and reflects the true diversity in Indian Country.

The 2021 National Senior Games, presented by Humana, will be held in Greater Fort Lauderdale, Florida November 5-18, 2021. The National Senior Games, a 20-sport, biennial competition for people age 50 and over, is the largest multi-sport event in the world. It is expected to attract more than 10,000 athletes and an estimated 15,000 visitors.

The competition schedule will be posted in Spring 2021. An athlete must be at least 50 years of age by December 31, 2020 to qualify for the 2021 National Senior Games.

The Older Americans Act (OAA) has finally been reauthorized. The Supporting Older Americans Act of 2020, H.R. 4334, reauthorizes the federal Older Americans Act through 2024. The previous authorization expired on September 30, 2019.

This legislation will help ensure elders receive in-home personal care, healthy and consistent meals, transportation to critical medical appointments and other engagements, and access to legal services as well as those that prevent elder abuse and reduce social isolation.

This reauthorization also supports the needs of unpaid and family caregivers who are playing an increasingly large role in supporting the needs of older adults. Over 11 million older adults and their caregivers rely on OAA programs administered by the nationwide aging services network, including senior centers, healthy aging programs, nutrition, in-home services, caregiver support and elder abuse protections.