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- Before the senior center was built,
there was very little family support and activities
that could have benefitted the elderlies.
- We had to find ways to take care of our elders
in our community
because the need was for them to stay at home.
- When I got sick, there's a--
home health care really came in
and did a lot of stuff for me.
They gave me a wheelchair.
They gave me a cane.
Since I couldn't get around too good,
they put rails in my bathrooms, my doors,
and that really helped me out a lot.
- The agency started back in 1980,
became Medicare and Medicaid certified in 1981.
From there, skilled nursing and home health aide services
were provided based on the needs after a study was done
by a health department within the tribal organization.
From there, the agency expanded into long-term care services
in 1990.
- The LTC services that Zuni has to offer our elders
is, of course, the home health care agency programs,
which has a personal care option which have the medical supply.
They have the palliative hospice programs.
And for the Zuni senior center,
we have services under the Title VI program--
transportation,
we have the senior companions that go into the homes,
and we have the caregiver outreach workers
which go out into the community and assess
and also they assist elders and caregivers.
- Adult day care is a place where our elders can come
and visit, socialize throughout the day.
The adult day care program has benefitted our community
through allowing our elders to stay within the community
and to remain as independent as they can.
- Our tribe's relationships with the state
and other federal agencies are very good.
Most of those agencies provide us funding.
And we coordinate very well with the state agency
Aging and Long-term Care Services Department
of New Mexico
because they provide us all sorts of technical support.
- The way Zuni home health care agency coordinates services
with Zuni IHS, Indian Health Services,
is the referral process--
the physicians refer patients to us.
We also have a professional advisory committee
which consists of a physician
as well as a palliative care team
which consists of four physicians
and various professional staff.
The way we coordinate with the Zuni Senior Services
is through annual evaluations plus quarterly meetings.
In the quarterly meetings that we have with the senior center,
some case discussions are done
as well as evaluations of how-- or what the needs are
within the elder population
and gathering statistical information.
- The way we are planning to address future needs is by--
through our elderly services coordinating committee meetings.
And through there, we discuss what our needs are,
where we need to go, what we need to do.
And collectively we get ideas to move forward.
- We can still maintain our cultural awareness
in our program by--through the language and through the food
and observing our religion.
- The advice I would give a program
that is seeking LDS's services is that they need to know
their elders' needs in their community--
what will work for them, what is doable,
because each tribe is different.