GT Band to host national conference

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Derek Bailey

September 24, 2010

BY SHERI McWHIRTER smcwhirter@record-eagle.com The Record Eagle Fri Sep 24, 2010, 07:20 AM EDT

ACME — A national powwow of sorts is coming to town.

The National Indian Council on Aging will host its 2010 biennial conference at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa beginning this weekend. More than 1,000 tribal leaders, elders and service providers are expected to attend.

"It's definitely a true honor to be the host tribal nation," said Derek Bailey, chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.

Participants will come from American Indian nations across the country, including Alaskan Native elders.

The conference is intended to detail the intricacies of various federal programs such as the Older Americans Act and its implications for tribal funding, all up for reauthorization by Congress next year.

Also on the agenda are break-out sessions on regional issues, including nutrition, health, senior programs and employment, as well as elder abuse prevention.

Many of the sessions are intended to keep aging tribal members across the country aware of coming changes, said Randella Bluehouse, NICOA's executive director.

"It's about what can seniors do to ensure these programs continue to operate into the future," she said. "One of the hot issues is Social Security. There is talk about Social Security being privatized. It's such an important issue in Indian Country."

NICOA will collect input from conference participants on various government programs and submit them to the National Congress of American Indians, lobbying for issue support and funding, Bluehouse said.

Bailey said there are numerous health issues among aging tribal populations, both here and across the country. It's important to raise awareness and the conference is a great place to do so, he said.

"When you look at the health disparities between tribal members and the rest of the population, you see our life expectancy is 10 years less," Bailey said.

American Indians have higher rates of heart disease and are experiencing a growing trend for the onset of diabetes at younger ages, he said.

Lee Ivinson, members assistance coordinator for the Manistee-based Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, agreed that diabetes is a chronic disease with which many tribal elders struggle, as well as hypertension and depression.

That's why Bailey said he's pleased there will be lengthy talks at the conference about the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, part of the recently approved federal health care overhaul. It's an important development and many tribal people don't know much about it or how it will change federal funding levels, Bluehouse said.

"We're still trying to understand what the issues are that will be coming down the pike in the future. We're hoping we can bring some light to it with our panel session," she said.

Ivinson said she hopes recent health care legislation will result in more federal funding for long-term elder care and increases in funding for existing programs, such as congregate meals and preventative education about exercise, diet and more. She expects to learn more at the conference, she said.

"I'm hoping to get a better understanding of what the changes are," Ivinson said.

On-site registration will be today, with a welcome reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Lectures and panel sessions begin Saturday and will run through Monday, with area caucus reports and the closing ceremony on Tuesday.

The conference also will feature several cultural events, including a special dinner, an intertribal fashion show and an elder talent night.

It costs $150 for voting NICOA members and $225 for non-tribal members to attend the multi-day conference. Visit www.nicoa.org for more information, including a conference agenda.