Reduced exposure to daylight during the fall and winter months can negatively impact our mood and energy levels, which increases the risk for feelings of loneliness and isolation.

That risk is further compounded for elders who live alone or have health issues that make it difficult to leave their home. Help caregivers address that risk by recommending they:

• Have elders sit near windows with the curtains open each day
• Weather permitting, take elders outside during daylight hours, even if it is cloudy
• Establish and maintain regular sleep and meal schedules to help regulate elders’ internal clocks
• Arrange virtual and in-person visits to keep elders connected to friends and family members

Application period: March 4, at 2 p.m. Eastern, to April 3 at 4:59 p.m. Eastern
Learn more about the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program funding opportunity

The Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Build America Bureau will provide up to $27 million in grants through its Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program. Up to $10 million has been designated for tribal applicants.

The grants can support the hiring of staff or advisors to help with activities during the planning and design phase of transportation projects. Eligible activities include feasibility studies, environmental reviews, cost evaluations, and more.

DOT expects to award 50 grants of up to $750,000 each. Funding does not require cost matches, and it will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

Rural Telecommunications Program

Rural Healthcare Connect Fund

AmeriCorps State and National Native Nation grants

January 28 at 2 p.m. Eastern
Register for the NADRC webinar

Join the National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center (NADRC) for a virtual panel discussion featuring dementia care professionals whose careers are informed by their personal experiences as caregivers outside of work.

March 10–13
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Register for the Title VI conference

February 16 is the deadline to reserve a hotel room for this year’s National Title VI Training & Technical Assistance Conference, which is geared toward Title VI directors and program staff. There is no registration fee.

March 13–15
Charlotte, North Carolina, with an option
for virtual learning
Register for this year’s PALTmed conference

Plan to attend the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association’s (PALTmed) annual conference, which will cover topics such as:

• Communicating effectively with facility residents and their families
• Addressing the needs of residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Optimizing care transitions for people with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia

April 23–24
Washington, DC
Early bird registration ends March 7
Presentation and poster session proposals are due January 28 at 5 p.m. Eastern

Urban Indian organization (UIO) staff, health care professionals, policymakers, community leaders, and advocates are encouraged to attend the National Council of Urban Indian Health’s (NCUIH) annual conference. The day before the conference, NCUIH will offer training to UIO boards of directors. Additionally, UIOs are invited to participate in Capitol Hill Day April 25.