Dissemination Guide for the Road Map for Indian Country

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Road Map for Indian Country cover

Available for Download [PDF – 559 KB]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Alzheimer’s Association have created the Healthy Brain Initiative’s (HBI) Road Map for Indian Country. Its purpose is to help guide American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) community leaders as they develop a broad response to Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Starting a conversation about how Alzheimer’s and other dementias affects all generations is a natural first step in planning a response. The Road Map for Indian Country offers tribal leaders suggestions for engaging community members along with strategies that can be tailored to their communities’ traditional wellness practices and other unique strengths. The eight public health strategies focus on promoting wellness for older adults affected by dementia, supporting family care, and preparing for the future.

This dissemination guide can help community leaders spread the word about the HBI Road Map for Indian Country. Users will find a brief overview of the Road Map, sample messaging to inform Indian Country about the Road Map, and a variety of media tools to make it easier to spread the word.

A companion guide—the HBI’s State and Local Public Health Partnerships to Address Dementia, The 2018- 2023 Road Map—is available for state and local governments.

Help us spread the word

Dissemination Guide Items

Newsletter Template
Use the text and image provided to promote the Road Map within your organization or community newsletter, e-mails, or blogs.

Social Media Posts
Sample tweets and Facebook posts are ready to use on your organization’s social media platforms.

Talking Points
Use this bulleted list for quick facts.

Key Facts
Statistics and data that make the case for action.

Content Syndication
Publish CDC’s web content on your website quickly.

Newsletter Template

Consider including a short article in a newsletter or blog, such as the following:

As more American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) live into their 70s, 80s, and beyond, younger generations have more time to learn from and receive traditions from older generations. Advanced age, though, increases risk for Alzheimer’s and other dementias. When memory and thinking problems interfere with daily life, the impact of dementia spreads across generations.

The new Healthy Brain Initiative’s (HBI) Road Map for Indian Country is a practical tool for tribal officials, tribal health and aging services professionals, and regional tribal health organizational leaders to learn about dementia and how communities can respond. It suggests public health strategies to enhance wellness for older adults affected by dementia, support family care, and promote brain health across generations. As a set of case studies show, the strategies are flexible so AI/AN communities can build in traditional wellness practices and focus on local priorities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Alzheimer’s Association jointly developed the Road Map after extensive input from AI/AN leaders, experts, and practitioners. CDC also partnered with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials to develop communications materials on the connection between brain health and heart health. Tribal leaders can use the Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain materials to educate community members, one of the strategies in the Road Map.

To get the Road Map, find data and more, go to alz.org/publichealth/IndianCountry or cdc.gov/aging. For public health news about dementia and alerts about new tools for the HBI Road Map for Indian Country, subscribe to CDC’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Healthy Aging Program Newsletter and the Alzheimer’s Public Health News mailing list.

Social Media Posts

Promote the HBI Road Map for Indian Country through relevant social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter). Use the shared hashtag to track tweets, likes, and clicks.

Twitter

  • CDC and @alzassociation releases Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map for Indian Country on dementia. Read the highlights: https://bit.ly/2TT9KvP #ENDALZ #HBIRoadMap
  • Tribal leaders: Learn, plan, respond to dementia using the Road Map for Indian Country. https://bit. ly/2TT9KvP #HBIRoadMap
  • Tribal communities are resilient with many strengths. Commit those strengths to brain health and family care for people with dementia using the Road Map for Indian Country. #Alzheimers #HBIRoadMap #ENDALZ
  • Realize a better future for your communities impacted by #Dementia with Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map for Indian Country. https://bit.ly/2TT9KvP #ENDALZ #HBIRoadMap
  • Use the Road Map for Indian Country to improve wellness for older adults living with dementia, to strengthen family care, and to protect future generations. https://bit.ly/2TT9KvP #ENDALZ
  • Tribal and community leaders: Check out this guide on charting a course for Alzheimer’s and dementia #HBIRoadMap https://bit.ly/2TT9KvP #ENDALZ

Facebook

  • The Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map for Indian Country helps promote wellness for elders affected by dementia, support family care, and prepare for the future. The Road Map can guide tribal community leaders to understand how dementia and associated caregiving is affecting their community and offers strategies to guide their approach. https://bit.ly/2TT9KvP
  • With input from the AI/AN community, CDC and the Alzheimer’s Association developed the Road Map for Indian Country, a guide for tribal leaders to learn about dementia and how communities can respond. Read more in the Healthy Brain Initiative’s Road Map for Indian Country. https://bit.ly/2TT9KvP
  • Learn how to improve wellness for tribal elders living with dementia, strengthen family care, and protect future generations using the Road Map for Indian Country. https://bit.ly/2TT9KvP
  • Learn. Plan. Start responding to dementia using the Road Map for Indian Country. The Road Map guides tribal leaders to respond to dementia in American Indian/Alaska Native communities. https://bit.ly/2TT9KvP
  • Find ways public health strategies in the HBI Road Map for Indian Country can improve wellness for older adults living with dementia, strengthen family care, and protect future generations. https://bit.ly/2TT9KvP
  • The impact of dementia spreads beyond the person affected. Discover strategies to support families and caregivers using the Road Map for Indian Country. https://bit.ly/2TT9KvP

Talking Points

These talking points may help generate interest for larger media engagement.

  • CDC and the Alzheimer’s Association have created the HBI Road Map for Indian Country, the first road map on Alzheimer’s and other dementias for American Indian/Alaska Native communities.
  • Many AI/AN leaders, experts, and practitioners helped shape the Road Map by providing insights and guidance. They also reviewed drafts and provided case studies.
  • The Road Map is a guide for AI/AN communities to learn about dementia and how they can promote well-being and resilience across generations.
  • Starting a conversation about how Alzheimer’s and other dementias affects all generations is a natural first step in planning a response. The Road Map also offers background about dementia, including early signs, risk factors, and value of early diagnoses.
  • The Healthy Brain Initiative’s Road Map for Indian Country has eight public health strategies that can be tailored for local priorities and community strengths. The focus of these strategies is threefold:
    • Educate and empower the community
    • Collect and use data
    • Strengthen the workforce
  • Implementing Road Map for Indian Country strategies can help AI/AN communities enhance wellness for people living with dementia, strengthen family care, and protect future generations.
  • To help AI/AN leaders implement the Road Map, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, with the International Association for Indigenous Aging, created a set of communications materials on the connection between brain health and heart health.
  • By promoting health, improving early detection, and providing support, tribal leaders can improve the lives of older people living with dementia and their caregivers.

Key Facts

These key facts are highlighted in the HBI Road Map for Indian Country and help make the case for why action is needed throughout American Indian/Alaska Native communities.

  • The progression of Alzheimer’s disease can span decades, providing many opportunities for public health to change outcomes across communities.
  • Contrary to what was once believed, dementia is not a part of normal aging. Dementia is a chronic condition that affects a person’s brain. Eventually, difficulties with memory, language, problem-solving, and other cognitive skills begin to affect a person’s ability to do everyday activities. Family members play a vital role in providing care to relatives living with dementia.
  • One in six American Indian/Alaska Natives aged 45 and older reported subjective cognitive decline (increasing difficulties in thinking or remembering) in 2015-2017.
  • The number of American Indian/Alaska Natives aged 65 and older living with dementia is projected to grow over five times between 2014 and 2060.
  • More than 95% of people with dementia have one or more other chronic conditions. American Indian/Alaska Natives are more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, with heart disease, and to be cigarette smokers than other groups. Alzheimer’s also complicates the management of these other conditions, resulting in increased hospitalizations and costs.
  • American Indians/Alaska Natives are less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and other dementias than other racial/ethnic groups. Only one in three American Indian/Alaska Natives who experience memory loss have discussed it with their healthcare provider.
  • American Indian/Alaska Natives are more likely than other populations to live in multi-generational families and raise grandchildren. More American Indian/Alaska Natives aged 50 and older reside in households with three or more generations compared to the non-American Indian/Native Alaska populations.
  • More than half (56%) of AI/ANs aged 50 and older do not live on tribal land. This may complicate access to culturally-relevant services and supports. It may also mean family caregivers do not live near their parents, grandparents, or other older relatives.

Content Syndication

If you would like to host content about the Healthy Brain Initiative or the Road Map for Indian Country on your organization’s website, you can sign up for CDC’s content syndication service. It’s free, quick, and easy. Sign up at Request a Page for Syndication.

More Information

Learn more about the Healthy Brain Initiative and its series of Road Maps for state, tribal, and local public health from the Alzheimer’s Association and the CDC.

Logos for the following organizations: Alzheimer's Association; Indian Country; CDC