Cultural Considerations in Dementia – Program Updates | November 13, 2025
Date of Presentation: November 13, 2025
Type: Past Presentation
Audience: Clinical
Program: Clinical Dementia Dementia Caregiver Support ECHO
Keywords: #clinical guidelines #cultural considerations #culture #dementia #dementia care
In this presentation, LCDR Maria Bellantoni, MD, USPHS, explores current updates to programs providing Dementia care to Tribal communities and reviews cultural considerations in caring for those with Dementia. Melissa Blind, PhD, Senior Research Scientist and Community Engagement Director with the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team at the University of Minnesota Duluth Campus, shares the latest research and resources developed for the Indigenous Cultural Understandings of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias – Research and Engagement (ICARE) project and the Addressing Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Disparities: The American Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (AMICA) project.
Recording:
Presented by:
Dr. Maria Bellantoni, MD
Dr. Maria Bellantoni is a Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences graduate and a U.S. Public Health Service commissioned officer. A recent addition to IHS Elder Care, she serves as the IHS Chief Clinical Consultant for Geriatrics & Palliative Care and provides clinical consultation as an IHS National Elder Care team member.
Dr. Melissa Blind, PhD
Dr. Blind is Cree from George Gordon’s First Nation in Saskatchewan. She holds a PhD in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona. She is a Senior Research Associate on the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team at the University of Minnesota, Duluth campus and has over 10 years’ experience working with Indigenous communities in the field of Indigenous health and dementia research. Dr. Blind’s work has contributed to the development of culturally safe dementia health promotion materials and assessment tools in Canada. She is also the research coordinator for Indigenous Cultural Understandings of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias – Research and Engagement (ICARE) project and the Addressing Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Disparities: The American Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (AMICA) project.
Resources Provided:
- IHS Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Program
- IHS Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Program: Dementia Clinical Support Line
- IHS Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Program: Training and Education Resources
- IHS Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Program: Webinars - Mini-Cog Training
- Addressing Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Disparities: The American Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (AMICA)
Date added: November 17, 2025
