Finding opportunity in heartbreak and deficiency

A Navajo nonprofit strives to fill in the gaps made visible by the pandemic

It was heartbreak, a sense of injustice, and a passion to create change on the Navajo Nation that inspired the creation of the So’Tsoh Foundation. Founder Valerie Tsosie wanted to help Navajo people who lost access to critical services during the pandemic. When services shut down, Tsosie’s stepped up.

Tsosie created the So' Tsoh Foundation in August 2020 to support caregivers on the Navajo Nation by providing them access to behavioral and physical wellness programs, services, resources, and support. Tsosie had previously spent nearly five years working for the Navajo people and recalls the shock that came with the pandemic, “It just broke my heart because there were things that we could do,” she said about supporting people on the reservation. But instead of increasing support in a time of need, programs were shutting down across the reservation. It gave Tsosie the motivation and courage she needed to start the So’ Tsoh Foundation.

Photography by Wade Adakai

Early successes helped. When programs and services for Navajo elders came to a halt, the So’Tsoh Foundation was able to get over 60,000 pieces of personal protective equipment out to senior centers across the Navajo Nation.

“We were able to do a lot of work and fill the gaps that the Navajo Nation was struggling with,” she said. “Ever since then, we’ve just been working on providing the services that were just so needed.”

It lit a fire in her to not only talk about helping the Navajo people but to have the agency to do it. Where Tsosie saw inadequacies, she took action to become the solution. When Tsosie noticed that Alzheimer's screening was lacking on the reservation, the So’Tsoh Foundation started providing Alzheimer training and Alzheimer's screening for caregivers.

In a recent screening, Tsosie said she spoke with an elder who was having issues with remembering. The elder mentioned their friends, also elders, were having the same issues but they weren’t sure if it was something they should be concerned about. Tsosie was proud of the elder for self-identifying because it can be easy to hide memory issues to avoid the feeling of being a burden. But it made Tsosie wonder how many other elders were facing the same issues. She wondered how many weren’t seeking help for fear that they would be taken from their families and put into care homes.

So, she is using her foundation to educate caregivers about the process to identify Alzheimers and to make sure that caregivers have access to resources and support to keep their elders at home and out of a facility. She wants to create a system and an environment where elders and caregivers are getting enough information to squash the fears.

Building a support system for caregivers

Tsosie said caregiving is a lonely road for both parties, so the foundation is always expanding their services. Along with Alzheimers training, the foundation also provides health fairs, counseling, advocacy, leadership training, health and safety training. They make sure caregivers are earning training certificates as well as education on financial safety and banking basics.

Tsosie said many aren’t willing to look at caregiving as a job but a way of life. But Tsosie said caregiving is a job, and caregivers need to be paid for their time. Taking an elder to their appointment means gas, food and sometimes an overnight stay. It can be expensive, and Tsosie wants to make sure that caregivers understand that it’s ok to request compensation to help with costs.

Similarly, Tsosie says caregivers aren’t getting regular benefits that are offered at other jobs. If they are getting wages, the pay is low.

“Caregiving can turn into a situation where the caregiver forgets to take care of themselves,” Tsosie said. Tsosie hopes her foundation helps caregivers identify programs that can help them create a healthy environment for the elders they serve, but also themselves. She wants caregivers to know that there is someone that wants to make sure they are taken care of mentally, emotionally and physically so they can give the best care to their elder.

Photography by Wade Adakai

Expanding across the Navajo Nation

When Tsosie looks to the future, she examines the long list of activities she has lined up for the month. Then she looks further, and envisions So’Tsoh Foundation offices operating in all five agencies of the Navajo Nation. Each agency has unique needs and Tsosie wants to address them all. But her biggest challenge is finding consistent funding to make sure the programs that So’Tsoh offers continue. Tsosie wants her nonprofit to stand the test of time and grow.

“This needs to be a long-term program to support the community because the need will never go away,” Tsosie said of caregiving support.

While her journey has been rocky and she never feels that she is doing enough, Tsosie said she is thankful to have her business running. In addition to embracing her passion, she’s been invited to speak before Congress and was recently recognized for her work with an Outstanding Service Award from the National Indian Health Board.

More information on the So’Tsoh Foundation can be found on Facebook and at: https://www.sotsohfoundation.org/