Tribal Senior & Long-Term Care Evaluation

The Long Term Services and Supports Strategic Planning - Strengthening Tribal Relationships: Listening Sessions and Needs Assessment is a contract from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), Senior and Long Term Care (SLTC) Division. As part of a statewide effort to evaluate SLTC services across Montana, MORH/AHEC has been tasked with ensuring the needs and experiences of Tribal Governments and Urban Indian Organizations are represented in this evaluation. We are working to conduct listening sessions with Tribal Governments and Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) across Montana to understand the needs and identify opportunities for improvement when it comes to SLTC services. We are working closely with the MT Office of American Indian Health at DPHHS to collaborate with Tribes and UIOs through respectful consultation and collaborative efforts. This work is supported by the Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration program, which aims to build a sustainable system for community-based long-term care services.

Statewide SLTC Summits

Montana DPHHS is hosting four summits in summer 2025 to bring together stakeholders in the SLTC services system to share findings from SLTC evaluations and discuss strategic recommendations. As part of our contract, MORH/AHEC has funding to support 1-2 Tribal representatives in attending each summit to speak to the needs and recommendations for how SLTC services can best serve Tribal members in Montana. SLTC summits are scheduled for:

• June 18^th in Billings @ Lillis Center - St. John's
• July 10^th in Kalispell @ Flathead County Library Kalispell
• August 11^th in Great Falls @ Great Falls Public Library
• September 15^th in Helena @ Great Northern Hotel

All sessions will have an option for virtual attendance. 

Interested in attending a summit? Please click here to fill out an interest form. 

Process & Timeline

Phase 1: Planning & Partnerships

During phase 1, we are focusing on communication and partnership building with 8 Tribal Governments and 5 UIOs in Montana, including:

• Approaching each Tribal Government to share about the project and honoring the government-to-government relationship between the State of Montana and each Tribal Government. 
• Obtaining input, ideas, and approval from Tribal Governments and UIOs to inform listening sessions at each site
• Applying for approval to conduct listening sessions as research activities from Tribal and other Institutional Review Boards
• Conducting a literature review of SLTC services for American Indian populations

Phase 2: Listening Sessions & Analysis

In phase 2, we are conducting listening sessions with all sites that approve these activities. These listening sessions will:

• Include up to 20 total participants at each site
• Ask about the needs, experiences, and opportunities for improvement related to STLC services
• Hear from stakeholders in the SLTC services system. This may include Elders and older adults, family caregivers, healthcare/administrative staff, or Tribal/health leaders
• Analyze the information shared to produce results and strategic recommendations

Phase 3: Consultation & Sharing

During phase 3, we are focusing on reporting what we learn from the listening sessions. This will involve:

• Sharing comprehensive reports with findings from each listening session 
• Presenting reports back to Tribal Governments, review boards, and UIO leadership to obtain input and approval to share information in the final report
• Compile and submit a final report with strategic recommendations and approved results from each site to DPHHS

Phase 4: Technical Assistance

In phase 4, MORH/AHEC looks forward to working with Tribal Governments, UIOs, and MT DPHHS to support dissemination and implementation of findings from the report.

Contact

For any questions related to the Tribal Senior and Long-Term Care Evaluation, please contact Fiona Grubin at fiona.grubin@montana.edu or 406-994-6002.