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Officials
to meet to discuss long term care
The Tribune, July 20, 2003
State,
federal and tribal government officials will meet Monday through Wednesday
in Bismarck to discuss and plan for the future of long-term care for
American Indian elders in this region and the nation.
The
meeting is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services'
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, User Liaison Program.
Prominent in the discussions will be the findings of American Indian elder
research conducted by the National Resource Center on Native American
Aging at the Center for Rural Health, University of North Dakota School of
Medicine and Health Sciences.
Like the U.S. general population, American Indians are getting older and
living longer, said Mary Wakefield, director of the Center for Rural
Health. However there is a lack of formal infrastructure, such as home-
and community-based services, assisted living and nursing homes, to meet
their longterm care needs on the reservations.
Research has revealed that American Indians have higher rates of chronic
disease and lower life expectancy than other Americans, and fewer
resources to serve those with longterm care needs.
"The meeting is a
defining moment for long-term care in Indian Country," said Alan
Allery, director of the National Resource Center on Native American Aging
at the UND Center for Rural Health. "It will shape the future of
longterm care for Native American elders in, not only Region VIII, but
also throughout the country."
The meeting takes place in the Best Western Doublewood Inn in Bismarck. of
Medicine and Health Sciences.
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