Just a few miles from the shores of Pyramid Lake, community, culture and connection will come together for a summit focused on dementia care and healthy aging.
The 夜色视频 School of Public Health’s Dementia Engagement, Education, and Research (DEER) Program will host the 2026 on Age- and Dementia-Friendly Care on May 5 in Nixon, Nevada. The event, held in partnership with the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, will bring together Tribal leaders, elders, health professionals, care partners, researchers and community advocates for a day centered on learning, reflection and connection.
The event is the fourth Tribal Summit hosted through this partnership and the second in a five-year series funded by the Nevada Interprofessional Healthy Aging Network (NIHAN). Each year highlights one of the “5 M’s” of age-friendly care: mind, medicine, mobility, multicomplexity, and what matters most.
This year’s theme, “Medicine: Traditional Healing Meets Clinical Care,” highlights how culturally grounded approaches to healing shape health across the lifespan. The summit will explore how clinical care and pharmaceuticals intersect with traditional healing practices, cultural knowledge and community-based approaches that have supported Indigenous communities for generations.
The event reflects a broader public health priority to work in authentic partnership with communities to improve health outcomes. , based in the School of Public Health, focuses on building capacity across Nevada to support individuals living with dementia and their care partners.
“Gatherings like the Tribal Summit remind us that the strongest pathways to health are shaped within community, culture, and relationships,” said Jennifer Carson, Ph.D., associate professor at the School of Public Health and director of the Dementia Engagement, Education, and Research Program. “We are honored to partner with Tribal leaders and elders, whose knowledge and leadership guide care that honors dignity, strengthens connection, and affirms the full humanity of each person.”
That community-based approach is also reflected in the work of , a statewide initiative focused on helping communities become more respectful, educated, supportive and inclusive of people living with dementia and their care partners.
Since launching in 2016 with four community groups, Dementia Friendly Nevada has expanded to nine active community groups across the state, with each community convening local partners to build awareness and improve access to programs and resources.
One example is the Pesa Sooanme Advisory Group, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe’s Dementia Friendly Nevada Community Group. “Pesa Sooname” means “good thinking” and “good thoughts” in Northern Paiute, reflecting the group’s intentions to support good thoughts toward people living with dementia and protect good thinking through proactive brain health promotion.
“The Pesa Sooname Advisory Group reflects the power of community-led solutions,” said Casey Venturini, director of Dementia Friendly Nevada and assistant director of the DEER Program. “Dementia is more common among Native people, yet it is too rarely discussed. Through the Pesa Sooname Advisory Group and the Tribal Summit series, we are helping communities begin conversations that reduce stigma, strengthen support and promote well-being.”
Throughout the day, participants will engage in sessions designed to bring Indigenous and Western perspectives into conversation.
The summit keynote, “Traditional Medicine & Biomedicine: Mattering to Each Other,” will be delivered by J. Neil Henderson, Ph.D. (Oklahoma Choctaw). Henderson will discuss how both perspectives can be leveraged to build mutual understanding, bridge historical divides and work more collaboratively to reduce suffering and promote well-being.
Another session will highlight how age-friendly care frameworks are being adapted to better serve Tribal communities. Ron Eppes, director of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease Projects for the International Association for Indigenous Aging, will share how the “5Ms” framework was adapted in collaboration with Yale School of Medicine. The updated model reflects culturally responsive language and imagery, offering a more meaningful approach to supporting elders in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
“Weaving Wellness: Tradition, Lifestyle, & Brain Health,” will focus on how everyday practices can support long-term well-being. Led by Charae Wamsley of the Alzheimer’s Association of Nevada and Valerie Bill of the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe, the interactive session will explore how traditional activities, healthy lifestyle habits and clinical care can work together to support brain health. Participants will be guided in developing personalized approaches to wellness that reflect both cultural traditions and medical knowledge, reinforcing the idea that lifestyle itself plays a critical role in health.
Organizers have intentionally designed the summit to create space for dialogue and shared experience. Interactive sessions will encourage participants to learn from one another and consider how different approaches to care can work together to better support elders and people living with dementia, their families and their communities. The day will open and close with ceremony, grounding the event in respect, relationship and place.
For the School of Public Health, the summit represents an ongoing commitment to building strong partnerships with Tribal, rural and urban communities across Nevada. Through programs like the DEER Program and initiatives like Dementia Friendly Nevada, the school continues to expand access to culturally responsive care and strengthen support systems across the state.
Registration for the summit is free and open to the public. Visit the event website for more information and registration details.
