Memorandums of Understanding: Where Tribal Sovereignty Meets Elder Protection
 

By Danelle Woodman, Elder Justice Associate, IA²

May 2025

Protecting Native elders demands more than good intentions — it requires clear agreements that honor tribal sovereignty and coordinate meaningful action. One place to start is creating Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs). MOUs are used as a collaborative tool to ensure that both tribal nations and adult protective services (APS) programs communicate policies and procedures and coordinate a response to address elder abuse. 

Despite the collaborative response of these agreements, gaps and challenges persist, presenting an opportunity for change. This includes ensuring procedures uphold tribal sovereignty. It is imperative to consider tribal sovereignty, especially when it comes to APS program jurisdictional expectations. In 1953, Congress passed Public Law 280 granting law enforcement jurisdiction in some states and tribes, but not in others. This calls for a strong collaboration in addressing protection of elders and adults with disabilities within tribal communities.

With guidance from resource centers like Native American Elder Justice Initiative (NAEJI) and International Association for Indigenous Aging (IA²), MOUs are becoming a vital tool in closing gaps and strengthening community responses to abuse.

The NAEJI Resource Center, operated by IA², is a resource for elder protection with Native American tribes. NAEJI provides technical assistance to tribal nations to enhance APS initiatives through consultations with subject matter experts in the field of elder justice. This includes facilitating the creation of MOUs between APS programs and tribal nations to strengthen elder protection codes and collaboration with tribes. Likewise, IA2’s Healthy Brain Initiative works with communities, universities, and public health organizations to build awareness and programs for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian peoples to reduce the impact of Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias, and related elder abuse.

By fostering collaboration and leveraging expert guidance, we can enhance our efforts to protect elders and adults with disabilities and ensure thorough APS investigations. Let's seize this opportunity to make meaningful progress in abuse prevention and intervention. To learn more about the NAEJI resource center and their initiatives, please visit their website.

NAEJI also hosts informal monthly meetings for Tribal APS professionals to discuss work-related challenges. Recently, they have broadened their scope to include APS professionals who work with tribes in their states but are not officially Tribal APS. If you are interested in participating, contact them here.

The meeting occurs on the first Thursday of every month. 

The APS Blog is updated regularly with posts from contributing authors and new publications from the APS TARC.

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