The National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA) introduced a new toolkit dedicated to increasing awareness and knowledge of the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people living with disabilities.

The toolkit contains information about disabilities, tribes and resources and is a great resource for communities working to become more age- and dementia friendly and engaging AI/AN older adults.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 30% of AI/AN adults have a disability, the highest rate of disability among any other ethnicity. Among AI/ANs 55 and older, 34 percent had a disability, compared with 23 percent for the overall population in the same age range (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2019).

A wide range of resources within the toolkit are more broadly applicable and relevant to all older adults.