Brain Health

The 5-year U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded project establishes IA² as a national hub for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) information resources serving Indian country. IA² will provide training, technical assistance, and resources for tribes, tribal leadership, healthcare and public health staff, Urban Indian Health Centers and organizations, and tribal elder services advocates across the country.

Activities are designed to advance community engagement and help build capacity among tribes and tribal member-serving organizations, promote healthy cognitive aging strategies across the lifespan, and foster dementia-capable tribal communities.

Project partners include J. Neil Henderson (Choctaw), director of the University of Minnesota’s Wisdom Keepers Medical Discovery Team; Tassy Parker (Seneca), director of the Univ. of New Mexico’s Center for Native Health; Larry Curley (Navajo), executive director of the National Indian Council on Aging; and Mike Splaine, owner and principal of Splaine Consulting.

IA²’s project will address two strategies and eight action items from the Road Map for Indian Country, taking a multidisciplinary public health approach. It will identify and feature locally-tailored, culturally relevant activities to address Native disparities in the burden of ADRD.

For the past three years, IA² has played a pivotal role in the development of the Road Map for Indian Country and engaged in meaningful work to address  ADRD. IA² conducted national webinars and focus groups for tribal health and senior program directors culminating in a report for the Alzheimer’s Association that contributed significantly to the Road Map.

For more info contact: Jolie Crowder @ jolie@iasquared.org