THE SENIOR CENTER
The Senior Center
Keep it senior-centered. A quiet room for our elders and those who care for them — the health doors, the veteran doors, and the help that’s already here, gathered in one place.
The Help Needed Board — for elders
No program required — this is help a relative can give today:
- Go along to the doctor — a second set of ears at appointments. The community is weighing whether a trained healthcare advocate should exist — add your voice.
- Drive — rides to care are half the battle of getting to care.
- Help with the paperwork — benefits forms, records requests, and finding the right door when something’s wrong.
- Translate & explain — Diné bizaad at the clinic, plain words for the forms.
- Haul wood, haul water — winter is coming every year; one truckload is real help.
- Just connect — a visit, a call, a check-in. Being remembered is half of wellbeing.
- Join a community cleanup — or start one at your chapter; an elder’s yard first.
- Ask an elder to read — our fluent speakers are our elders. Sit with one and record a vetted word or a page read aloud in Diné bizaad — the language deserves living voices, never a machine’s guess. the language shelf →
- Watch for the schemes — know the patterns that target elders and talk about them at the table.
Health & care
The Healthcare Hub — the whole picture: the record, the lessons, the problems and what to do
Getting to care — access & the roads, rides, and phones it takes
IHS vs 638 — who runs what — know which system your clinic is
Helping our elders at the doctor — would a healthcare advocate help your family? An anonymous survey
Veterans
The Veterans Hub — everything in one place
VA access & information gaps — the care that’s owed, and how to reach it
The Navajo Nation Veterans Administration — the Nation’s own office
Housing for veterans
Help & protection
Getting Legal Help — where to turn
The Right Door — which office takes your complaint
Fraud, Waste & Abuse 101 — the schemes that target elders, and the catches
The sober-living scheme — a real case: how vulnerable relatives were recruited, and what to watch for
🏥 Medicare — the official doors (verified)
Free, official help — nobody on this list sells anything:
- Medicare.gov — enrollment, plan lookup, what’s covered · 1‑800‑MEDICARE (1‑800‑633‑4227), 24/7
- SHIP — free one‑on‑one counseling — trained counselors in every state (AZ · NM · UT) help compare plans, appeal denials, and find cost help. Free, unbiased, not selling plans · 877‑839‑2675
- Senior Medicare Patrol — suspect a Medicare scam, billing error, or fraud? This is the door.
- Navajo Area IHS — IHS care continues regardless of Medicare status; ask your facility’s business office how Medicare enrollment works alongside IHS care.