Partners for a Healthy Montana
Statewide Contact: Nancy Andersen, Outreach Director and Volunteer Program Manager, nandersen@aarp.org
Regional Contacts: A few volunteers are available in certain regions in Montana. Please contact Nancy for more information.
General Background Information
AARP is an organization whose mission is “empowering people to choose how they live as they
age.” AARP does this in numerous ways, through outreach and advocacy, as well as providing
quality information to their members on a variety of topics, including health, finances, and travel.
Work with Libraries/Services Available
Order Free Publications from AARP
To order a printed edition:
- Use our Online Order Form*
- If you're seeking multiple copies or want to make a bulk order, Email Livable@AARP.org with your Name, Mailing Address, Title and Publication Code Number of the publication(s) you want, and the reason for your request
- To learn when new publications are available, subscribe to the free, weekly, award-winning AARP Livable Communities e-Newsletter
AARP provides several resources for caregivers and their families to help support you. Check out our online or downloadable caregiving tools, information, and support:
- AARP Family Caregiving website — this site provides an easy way to join an online community of other family caregivers, learn about local services, get helpful information, and connect with others who understand caregiving challenges. Check often for updates:
- English: aarp.org/caregiving/
- Spanish: aarp.org/cuidar/
- Caregiving Tools — our suite of free web-based tools helps you find information quickly and easily to address a variety of needs related to Family Caregiving. Have a specific question about caring for a loved one? Need help determining long-term costs, or guidance on juggling work, family, and caregiving responsibilities? Go to aarp.org/caregivingtools/ to access the online tool kit.
- Care Guides — we’ve put together six targeted, easy-to-use online guides to help you find support, make tough decisions, and handle conflict during your caregiving journey. Topics include help for first-time or long-distance caregivers, caring for a loved one at home, and caring for a loved one with dementia or cancer. Go to aarp.org/careguides/ to check them out.
- AARP Family Caregiving Guide — our free AARP Family Caregiving Guide helps ease your caregiving journey in five basic steps. To download a copy in PDF format, go to aarp.org/preparetocare/.
- Local Caregiving Resources and Solutions — find local listings for in-home care, medical, and community services, housing options, caregiving events and more. Go to aarp.org/caregiving/local/ and enter your location for custom results.
- Caregiver Community Forum — join our online family caregiving forum and connect with other caregivers and experts. You can post questions and provide real-life responses. Go to aarp.org/caregivingcommunity/ to join the conversation.
Area Agencies with web sites:
- Area I Agency on Aging - Eastern Montana
- Area II Agency on Aging - Roundup area
- Area IV Agency on Aging - Helena area
- Area V Agency on Aging - Butte area
- Area VI Agency on Aging - Polson area
- Area VII Agency on Aging - Missoula area
- Area VIII Agency on Aging - Great Falls
- Area IX Area Agency on Aging - Kalispell
Montana Senior Centers web links:
- Bozeman area Senior Centers - Belgrade, Bozeman, Manhattan, Three Forks and West Yellowstone
- Butte's Belmont Center
- Missoula County Senior Centers
- Adult Resource Alliance of Yellowstone County - Billings area
- Cascade County Senior Centers - Great Falls area
Human Resource Development Councils
- Rocky Mountain Development Council - Helena Area
- Action for Eastern Montana - Eastern Montana
The content of this guide is meant to be a starting point, not comprehensive. Items are primarily for library staff to use in their work, but you may find many resources appropriate and useful to offer your patrons. Consider ways to incorporate into programs and services that best benefit your communities.
Below are just a few examples.
- Include some of the resources in subject guides (e.g., disease outbreaks, nutrition, natural disasters, misinformation)
- Provide MedlinePlus brochures at a health programming event
- Highlight national health observances by highlighting health topics from MedlinePlus
Membership for your Library
NNLM provides resources to help enrich your programs. Join our free membership network to take advantage of all we offer. Membership is institutional, not individual.
Members are eligible to take advantage of services that include:
- Your organization will be listed in the NNLM Membership Directory, where you can connect with organizations to network and partner
- Training on NLM Resources with classes customized to meet the needs of your organization (check our class catalog for ideas and options)
- Free informational materials for order and download on National Library of Medicine (NLM) resources
- Provide free informational materials featuring National Library of Medicine (NLM) resources to exhibit at conferences and health fairs in your communities.
- Funding opportunities for consumer health outreach and for traveling exhibits.
- Grant and proposal writing information.
Order Publications for your Library
Locate your Regional Medical Library to see what materials you can order or print for free online to distribute at your health outreach events. An organizational membership to your local NNLM Regional Medical Library may be required to order materials. Membership is free.
Order or download these National Library of Medicine resource brochures for free.
Toolkits
Toolkits can make programming and services easier to implement. Many provide graphics, social media messages, and resources. Toolkits exist for libraries but also look for toolkits from agencies and organizations that can benefit your community, such as those about mental health, substance misuse, and disaster planning. Below are some sample websites:
- National Institutes of Health (NIH), visit each institute that may highlight a national health observance or toolkit.
- Sign up for the Office of Minority Health newsletter, where you can see a list of curated resources each week, which often include toolkits.
- SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) 988 Partner Toolkit includes communication outreach materials regarding the 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline.
- Your Healthiest Self: Wellness Toolkits, NIH - Toolkits to improve the overall health of library staff and patrons.
- Rural Health Information Hub includes toolkits on Aging in Place, maternal health, mental health, substance use disorders, and more.
- Partnering for Stronger Programming: A Toolkit for Libraries National Impact of Library Public Programs Assessment (NILPPA).
The Surgeon General’s Community Toolkit for Addressing Health Misinformation provides specific guidance and resources for healthcare providers, educators, librarians, faith leaders, and trusted community members to understand, identify, and stop the spread of health misinformation in their communities. It includes:
- Lessons
- Activities
- Infographics
- Checklist to evaluate information
- Tips to talk to friends, family, and your community
This toolkit inclides social media graphics, videos, printable resources, and more.
Through Montana SMP, senior volunteers help fellow seniors become pro-active consumers identifying potential mistakes, abuse or fraud in medical billing. The volunteers use Montana SMP tools to teach seniors how to understand their Medicare Summary Notices and to compare them with other health care bills to determine any balances owed. Montana SMP volunteers also give presentations in the community to help educate consumers, their families and caregivers about waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicare system.
The Montana SMP program is statewide and has coverage in over 44 counties in Montana. If you know of any seniors that are having difficulty with their health care bills or are interested in learning more about our program, have them contact their Area Agency on Aging at
DPHHS Alzheimers and Dementia Website
Ways for Libraries to Get Involved
Create a team to walk in the event (either with patrons, or among your staff)
Ask to have a bookmobile/table/booth at the event
Advertise the event at your library
Resource Corner
The Alzheimer’s Association has numerous publications, pamphlets, brochures, informational documents, etc. that they can provide to libraries who are interested in
creating a resource center.
The AA website also has various online resources that can be used
as well, such as:
E-learning Workshops: AA’s training and education center. This resource has various
online courses available for free that you can take. They also have courses available in
Spanish if needed. Course topics include First Responder Training to Dementia,
Communication Strategies, Healthy Living Lifestyle Choices, Living with Alzheimer’s,
and many others.
Virtual Library: AA’s library that is dedicated to Alzheimer’s and dementia information.
The physical library is located in Chicago, IL, but there are many resources available
online, such as downloadable publications and brochures, databases and searching
tutorials, librarian availability for questions, and many other topics.
Alz Connected: A free online community for everyone and anyone who is affected by
dementia. This includes people with the disease, caregivers, family members, friends,
and people who have lost someone to Alzheimer’s. This resource is also available in
Spanish.
Presentations
The Alzheimer’s Association has evidence-based curriculum presentations that
cover various aspects of Alzheimer’s, such as caregiver training, the 10 warning signs of
Alzheimer’s, the basics of the disease, Alzheimer’s research updates, etc. Certain topics can be requested and are free.
Online Help Hotline: AA has a 24-hour, 365-day FREE available hotline number where anyone
with questions about Alzheimer’s can call and talk to a trained social worker or specialist that
can provide guidance and counseling.
Cover Montana – Connecting you to health insurance coverage
Cover Montana is a health outreach project that is under the auspice of the Montana Primary Care Association (MPCA). The website has a lot of information about health coverage eligibility and many digital resources.
They are a coalition of organizationNavigators and s across Montana who work to find health coverage for people in their communities. Their main goal is to put people in contact with an enrollment assister in their area who can help explain options for health insurance and potentially enroll them in a plan that works for them.
People can reach Navigators for enrollment assistance through the helpline at 844-682-6837 or by scheduling directly through the website.
MPCA provides training and technical assistance to 17 community health centers (CHCs) across the state.
Cover Montana partners with these CHCs and a number of other health agencies and provides support for outreach and enrollment work.
Work with Libraries/Services Available
Navigators and Certified Application Counselors (CACs): Many CHCs and other health agencies have trained staff who are available to meet with and enroll people in health insurance plans. Once you find a navigator/CAC in your area, they can be a resource that you refer people to. Some navigators and CACs are also trained to do presentations on health care and health insurance.
Handouts
MPCA and Cover Montana create and provide resources about Medicaid and other
health insurance plans, screenings and disease prevention, and some other topics.
These handouts may be available at CHCs and other Cover Montana partner organizations. You can also contact Cover Montana directly to request these free materials.
Referral Training
Cover Montana can train staff on what information they need to know to do a good referral for a patron looking for health insurance information.
