§3032g Native American programs

Summary

The Assistant Secretary must fund 2 to 4 colleges or universities to create Resource Centers on Native American elders. Grants or contracts must last at least 3 years. The centers must collect information, do research, share what they learn, and give training and technical help to groups that serve older Native Americans. They must focus on health (including mental health), long-term care (including in-home care), elder abuse, and other important issues the Assistant Secretary names. The Assistant Secretary should give preference to schools that already study Native older adults and must consult the Director of the Office for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Aging and national expert groups. To qualify, an organization must be a college or university with experience researching older people. Each year the Assistant Secretary, with help from the centers, must send a report to the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate about the status and needs of Native American elders. The Assistant Secretary must also fund in-service training and courses on aging for Indian tribes through public or nonprofit Indian aging organizations and must hold yearly national trainings for program directors under this law.