Project Title

Alaska Native Aging in Place Pilot Project

Community

The Alaska Native Aging in Place Pilot Project served native elders aged 65 and older within the two Federally-recognized tribes of Cheesh’na (based in Chistochina, Alaska) and Mensata Lake (based in Mensata, Alaska).

Goals

The goal of Alaska Native Aging in Place Pilot Project was to pilot an Aging in Place program in two rural Alaska Native villages to develop a cost-effective, village-based model that enables native elders to remain in their homes and villages during their remaining years of life. Specific objectives included:

  1. Collaborating with strategic partners to develop a village-based program
  2. Implementing and evaluating services
  3. Disseminating process and outcome data and lessons learned to provide a model that can be adapted by other rural villages

Selected Accomplishments

Specific accomplishments of the Alaska Native Aging in Place Pilot Project include:

  • Providing a range of supports to the older adult population, including providing mental fitness, and exercise and nutrition workshops for native elders, and educating caregivers
  • Conducting activities aimed to preserve the communities’ cultural traditions, which are at risk of disappearing
  • Establishing strategic partnerships with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, the University of Alaska, the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Senior and Disability Services, and regional providers
  • Publishing and disseminating a quarterly newsletter
  • Developing skills and experience of project staff
  • Initiating a regional Elder Care Committee
  • Founding a dental clinic, and breaking ground for the construction of a new healthcare facility that will serve all members of the communities

Additional Products

Other

After the project, MSTC maintained the regional Elder Care Committee, which planned to host Annual Elder Care Conferences for the region.

Contact

Mount Sanford Tribal Consortium (MSTC)
www.mstc.org
www.mstc.org/aging.html

Evelyn Beeter, President/CEO
ebeeter@mstc.org