Norton Sound Health Corporation (NSHC) Prioritizes Caregiver Support in Alaska Community
At a health and career fair in one of Norton Sound Health Corporation’s rural, regional communities in the Bering Straits region of Alaska, a family seeking answers to two different issues was presented with the opportunity to find them in one location. While one family member applied for a job opening as a personal care attendant, the other family member inquired about dementia services for a local elder from the NSHC In-Home Support Program team.
As it turned out, the different issues became one and the same, as the applicant was hired to help the local elder with basic daily tasks in the home. As the newly hired employee helped the elder with meal preparation, housekeeping, and personal hygiene, they also worked together on applications to qualify for State of Alaska personal care services and other assistance.
Using funding from Indian Health Services’ grant "Addressing Dementia in Indian Country," NSHC’s In-Home Support Program was able to pay the caregiver’s wage to provide the essential services before the elder qualified for state assistance. The funding helped span the bridge of time between the start of direct services for the patient and establishing a permanent payor for those services.
NSHC’s Board of Directors decided years ago that providing direct services during that waiting period was imperative to the continuity of care. With a caregiver working in the home with the patient, applications for permanent assistance are much more likely to be completed.
Six months after the start of direct services under IHS grant funding, the patient’s applications for state assistance were approved. The approval allows NSHC to open up a spot for a new patient to receive personal care services under IHS grant funding while working toward state assistance. The cycle ensures that NSHC can provide a helping hand to patients experiencing dementia, and they are not left on their own.
Are you interested in learning more about current IHS Models of Care grantees? Click here!
Special thanks to Christine Shultz, LCSW, Patient Support Services Director, and the Norton Sound Health Care team for this article.
On June 4, 2024, the IHS Elder Health Team from the Division of Clinical and Community Services visited the Kenaitze Dena’ina Wellness Center and the Elder Center in Kenai, Alaska. The centers are near ancestral fishing grounds and offer comprehensive services, including primary care, dental, optometry, behavioral health, physical therapy, traditional healing, and more. 
