Alaska Public Radio Network/New America Media, News Feature, Shaleece Haas, Posted: Nov 09, 2011

Photo: Matthew Malcolm, who has Alzheimer’s, is shown in a van driving from Fairbanks to Eagle. He could tell the van’s location by the feeling of the turns in the road. (Photo by Shaleece Haas)

EAGLE, Alaska -- For Native elders who grew up in rural Alaska, the desire to die at home runs deep. But taking care of elders in rugged and isolated villages is a complicated task. And for many, aging in place is not an option.

Reporter Shaleece Haas traveled to Eagle on the Upper Yukon to find out what’s at stake for Native elders in need of long-term care. She produced this article for the Alaska Public Radio Network under the MetLife Foundation Fellowship in Aging, in conjunction with New America Media and the Gerontological Society of America.

To hear this five-minute radio broadcast click on: AlaskaPublic.org.