181 TITLE VI PART A GRANTEES NATIONWIDE WAS 10% LESS THAN THE TITLE III FUNDING DISTRIBUTED TO THE AREA AGENCIES ON AGING IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON. CULTURAL AND RECREATION: DUE TO LIMITED PROGRAM FUNDS, CULTURAL EVENTS AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES CANNOT BE PROVIDED TO THE EXTENT THE ELDERS WOULD LIKE TO HAVE. THE LESS THE INDIAN ELDERS ARE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE THE FASTER OUR TRADITIONS WILL DIMINISH. COLVILLE CONFEDERATED TRIBES: TITLE III-INDIAN AREA AGENCY ON AGING AND TITLE VI GRANTEE THOUGH THERE NEEDS TO BE CHANGES IN THE PROVISION OF SERVICES BY TITLE III TO INDIAN ELDERS IN GENERAL, BEING A DESIGNATED AREA AGENCY ON AGING HAS IT'S BENEFITS. SOME OF THE BENEFITS ARE: 1. INCREASED FUNDING: OUR AAOA RECEIVES THE LEAST AMOUNT OF TITLE III FUNDS IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON (0.68%), HOWEVER, THIS HAS ASSISTED US FINANCIALLY TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO OUR ELDERS. IN ADDITION TO TITLE III FUNDING, WE BECAME ELIGIBLE FOR TITLE V FUNDS/EMPLOYEES AND STATE FUNDS (SCSA AND RESPITE CARE). TITLE V: WE RECEIVE FUNDING TO EMPLOY 3 OLDER INDIVIDUALS. THIS HAS BEEN BENEFICIAL TO THE PROGRAM AND TO OLDER INDIVIDUALS THAT WOULD LIKE PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT. UNEMPLOYMENT IS HIGH ON THE RESERVATION WHICH DECREASES THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ELDER GETTING HIRED WHEN HAVING TO COMPETE WITH THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS. ASSISTS THE ELDER IN REMAINING ACTIVE AND SOCIALIZING WITH OTHERS. SCSA: WE UTILIZE THESE FUNDS TO PROVIDE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES TO THE ELDERS. RESPITE CARE: A FAIRLY NEW PROGRAM TO PROVIDE RELIEF TO A CAREGIVER. 2. WE ARE ABLE TO INSURE THAT SERVICES ARE, IN FACT, BEING DIRECTED TO OUR INDIAN ELDERLY MOST IN NEED. BECAUSE OF OUR LIMITED FUNDING, IT IS MORE ECONOMICAL AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT THAT WE PROVIDE SERVICES DIRECTLY RATHER THAN SUB-CONTRACT FOR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES AS MOST AREA AGENCIES ON AGING DO. INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO THE INDIAN ELDERS OF THE COLVILLE INDIAN RESERVATION: THERE ARE 445 ENROLLED COLVILLE TRIBAL MEMBERS AGE 60 YEARS OR OLDER RESIDING ON OR NEAR THE COLVILLE RESERVATION; 28% OF THESE ARE AGE 75 YEARS AND OLDER. BASED ON INFORMATION PROVIDED BY 253 INDIVIDUAL INDIAN ELDERS COMPLETING A CLIENT INTAKE FORM, WE RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: 78% HAVE INCOMES BELOW THE 150% LEVEL (INCLUDES INCOME OF ALL HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS); 36% LIVE ALONE; 64% HAVE SPOUSE, CHILDREN AND/OR GRANDCHILDREN LIVING IN SAME HOUSEHOLD; 29% RESIDE IN SUB-STANDARD HOUSING; 96% UTILIZES WOOD HEAT 66% ALSO HAS ELECTRIC HEAT; THE NUMBER OF ILLNESSES AVERAGED 2 PER ELDER WITH INDIVIDUALS INDICATING THEY HAVE NÓ ILLNESSES TO OTHERS IDENTIFYING AS MANY AS 9 ILLNESSES (ARTHRITIS 30%, HEARING 26%, HEART PROBLEMS 23%, VISION 22% AND DIABETES 13% RANK AMONG THE HIGHEST ILLNESSES AMONG OUR ELDERLY). DUE TO LIMITED RESOURCES, THERE ARE NEEDS OF THE INDIAN ELDERS THAT WE CANNOT MEET WITHIN OUR PROGRAM AND THE SERVICES WE DO PROVIDE ARE MINIMAL TO THE ACTUAL NEEDS OF THE ELDERS. MANY OF THE SERVICES/BENEFITS THEY NEED OR MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR ARE OUTSIDE OUR SENIOR PROGRAMS. THE COLVILLE RESERVATION IS A RURAL AREA AND BECAUSE OF OUR GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND LOCATION (1.3 MILLION ACRES/2100 SQUARE MILES) WE MUST EMPLOY 4 SETS OF STAFF (15 DIRECT SERVICE PROVIDERS AND 2 ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF) TO PROVIDE SERVICES. STAFF SALARY AND FRINGE CONSUMES APPROXIMATELY 75% OF OUR BUDGET. STAFF HOURS VARY FROM 16 HOURS PER WEEK TO 40 HOURS PER WEEK. THE COLVILLE RESERVATION IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR DISTRICTS WITH A COMMUNITY IN EACH DISTRICT. THE WEATHER INCLUDES SEVERE WINTERS TO EXTREMELY DRY HOT SUMMERS. The road miles between Onak and Nespelem is 39, Nespelen to Keller is 28 miles, and Keller to Inchelium is 51 miles. The roads between each community are 2-lane, winding and mountainous; 1 is a State highway and 2 are county paved roads (poorly maintained). BECAUSE OF THIS GEOGRAPHIC MAKE-UP, WE CANNOT REDUCE STAFF COSTS BY COMBINING SERVICE AREAS. LISTED ARE SOME LOCAL FACTORS OUTSIDE THE CONTROL OF OUR PROGRAM: The economy on the Colville Reservation remains inordinately low. The alcohol and drug dependency, violence, suicide attempts and suicides on the Colville Reservation have increased. These factors greatly affect the family support unit and volunteer support for assisting the elderly. 1. 2. 3. The unemployment rate on the Colville Reservation is 53-60%. The electricity cost for electricity on the Reservation is $0.041/kWh to $0.05461/kWh as compared to $0.0144/kWh to $0.0271/kWh in the towns bordering the Reservation. The Colville Reservation is a rural area with very limited shopping facilities and the prices are higher than in a city. The two closest cities to the Reservation are 70-100 miles away. The percentage of Indian elderly that have received services from the Colville Indian senior programs (69%), their health problems, limited incomes, high unemployment rate, high cost of living, and increase in domestic problems of Indians on the Colville Reservation confirms there is a need for increased and improved services to the Indian Elderly. PRESENTATION MADE IN TOPPENISH, WA, ON MAY 4, 1991, FOR THE REAUTHORIZATION OF THE OLDER AMERICAN ACT: REGARDING THE NATIVE AMERICAN PROGRAMS ACT AND THE IMPACT OF THE OLDER AMERICANS ACT ON OLDER INDIANS AND HISPANICS. 43-948 - 91 - 6 Gloria M Picard GLORIA M. PICARD PROGRAM MANAGER/DIRECTOR As chairmen of the subcommittees in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives having legislative responsibility for the Older Americans Act (OAA), we would like to invite you to testify at a joint hearing of our subcommittees, to be held on Saturday, May 4, 1991, from 1:00-5:00 p.m., in Toppenish, Washington. The hearing will be conducted at the Yakima Nation Cultural Center/Winter Lodge, which is located off of highway 97 in Toppenish. The title of this hearing is "The Native American Programs Act and the impact of the Older Americans Act on Older Indians and Hispanics." This hearing is part of a series of hearings that the two subcommittees are conducting leading to the 1991 reauthorization of the QAA. This hearing will be have two parts. The first two hours will be devoted to issues related to the Native American Programs Act of 1974 (NAPA). The House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Human Resources has legislative jurisdiction over the NAPA, which is to be considered for reauthorization this year. As in the 1987 reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, it is expected that the NAPA amendments will be incorporated into the final OAA reauthorization bill. The second portion of the the hearing, from 3:00-5:00, will be devoted to issues concerning older Indians and older hispanics and the role of the OAA in addressing these issues. It is this portion of the hearing, to be held from 3:00-5:00 p.m., that we are inviting you to testify. We would like you to specifically address issues pertaining to Title III of the Older Americans Act and, in particular, the unique role of Title III funded Indian Area Agencies on Aging. Because you also receive Title VI funds, please discuss the relationship between Title III and Title VI and their importance to the older Indians that you serve. may also wish to discuss other aspects of the Older Americans Act, such as Title V. You In addition, we would be most interested to hear any specific recommendations that you believe should be considered in this year's reauthorization of both the OAA and the NAPA. In the interest of time, we request that your oral testimony be limited to five minutes. Your entire written statement will be included in the printed hearing record. Also, to allow sufficient time to review your statement and to prepare hearing packets, we will need to receive 40 copies of your written testimony no later than the close of business on Wednesday, May 1, 1991. The copies of your statement should be sent to the Seattle office of Senator Brock Adams at 2988 Jackson Federal Building, 915 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA, 98174. In addition, a copy of your biographical statement and a single copy of your testimony should be sent to our Washington, D.C. offices by close of business on May 1. Please send to: Senator Brock Ādams, attention Bill Benson, SH-404, Hart Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510 (or fax # 202/224-0238); and to Representative Matthew Martinez, attention Bric Jensen, 320 Cannon HOB, Washington D.C. 20515-6102, or fax 202/225-3154. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in this hearing. If you need any further information, please contact Bill Benson or Sandy Bublick at (202) 224-3239. We look forward to your comments and recommendations. |