About AoA Alzheimer's Program
2004
The U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) has announced over
$6.78 million in funding for grant projects to develop innovative
models of care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease
and their family caregivers. Starting July 1, the $6.78 million
funding allocation will support grants to twenty-four (24)
new states and continuation grants to 14 states.
Descriptions of the 24 new projects and amounts of each award
are listed below:
Alabama Department
of Senior Services, $311,150: Improve direct services available to family caregivers
by incorporating Resources
for Enhancing Alzheimer Caregiver’s Health (REACH) evidence-based,
in-home social and behavioral interventions; and improving Alabama’s
overall system of care by incorporating the needs and preferences
of persons with dementia into the State’s long term care
system. The project will expand volunteer services to include
Caring Teams that partner with faith based communities to provide
in-home and supportive services to families, and through Leadership
Institutes for Older Adults which provide systems advocacy and
volunteer service.
Arizona Department
of Economic Security, Division of Aging and Community Services,
Aging and Adult Administration, $276,059:
Build upon its Walk of Friendship model of assistance to address
the need for care systems that are dementia-capable and culturally
sensitive for individuals with dementia, their families, and
their caregivers. The goals of the program are to expand culturally
sensitive and linguistically appropriate services and materials
for persons with dementia and their caregivers and to improve
coordination and service delivery of home and community based
services at the state and local level.
Arkansas Department
of Human Services, Aging and Adult Services, $281,150: The Focus on Families project combines models of direct
care for underserved populations, use of faith-based and other
volunteer organizations, plus innovative methods for improving
access to services, information, and supports. The goal is to
focus services/support at the home and community level for people
with AD/related disorders and their family caregivers, develop
additional services, and make access to services easier and resource
information more readily available.
California Department
of Aging, $311,150:
Develop and expand culturally and linguistically competent
services for Asian-American,
dementia-affected families in Northern and Southern California.
The project’s goal is to enhance the capacity of local
health and social service providers to serve Vietnamese, Korean
and Chinese dementia-affected families. The project’s strategy
is to build community capacity through coordination of community-based
collaborations; training for ethnically diverse professional
providers; and service coordination for caregiving families via
bi-cultural, paraprofessional Care Advocates.
Delaware Department
of Health and Social Services, Division of Services for Aging
and Adults with Physical Disabilities,
$161,150: Implement the Delaware Memory Loss Screening Demonstration
Project. The memory loss screening tool was developed by the
University of PA Memory Loss Clinic and is a proven instrument
to identify possible neurological problems. The project will
target populations that are confronted with substantial barriers
to accessing memory loss screening and support services. This
is a community-based, education and service program that will
bring memory loss screenings and dementia-related services directly
to people in their communities.
District of
Columbia Office on Aging, $263,768: The District
of Columbia Office on Aging (DC OoA) plans to conduct a three-year
program mobilizing the African American faith community to
create community coalitions that elevate awareness of Alzheimer’s
Disease and related disorders (ADRD) and increase utilization
of services by African Americans. Goals include reaching African
Americans who are not linked to services, testing an approach
to link caregivers to direct services, and providing Montessori-Based
Activities for Persons with Dementia (MBAP) at adult day care
centers.
Florida Department
of Elder Affairs, $311,150: Increase access
to services for individuals with dementia, their caregivers and
families residing in traditionally underserved rural, minority
and culturally diverse communities. The project approach will
emphasize collaborative partnerships among service agencies to
minority, elderly and culturally diverse dementia clients and
their caregivers in rural areas found in the nine service counties.
Indiana Bureau
of Aging and In-Home Services, $311,150: Enhance support to the Alzheimer’s Disease caregivers in Indiana.
The objectives of this project involve the expansion of the video
monitoring technology that allows caregivers to monitor persons
with Alzheimer’s Disease through video cameras and computer
software from an off-site location. The Powerful Tools Training
that “trains the trainer” will be offered statewide
to Area Agency on Aging and state staff. Caregivers will learn
how to take care of themselves, to access help and community
services. Development of a Volunteer Respite Program that targets
Alzheimer’s caregivers will further increase the support
tools available. A volunteer coordinator will recruit community
help to provide respite care. The availability of these support
programs will enhance the support statewide for the caregiver.
Iowa Department
of Elder Affairs, $311,150: Increase the capacity
of Adult Day Health and Respite (ADR) providers to serve persons
with dementia in rural settings and emerging minority populations
with culturally appropriate service. Goals include: 1) convene
statewide committee to evaluate and develop ADR training; 2)
increase use of direct services for ADR care; 3) assessment and
intervention services and staff education to ADR provided by
a Memory Loss Nurse Specialist (MLNS); and 4) evaluate and develop
culturally sensitive education, training materials, classes,
and services.
Louisiana Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs, $311,150:
Improve the responsiveness of Louisiana’s overall system
of home and community-based care to the needs and preferences
of persons with Alzheimer’s Disease and their caregivers.
The major objectives of the partnership are to streamline access
to information and services that support persons with Alzheimer’s
Disease and their caregivers; increase consumer control in service
options; empower individuals and their caregivers with increased
skills and tools to self-advocate and manage needs; and increase
services to the underserved through outreach to rural and minority
residents.
Maine Dept of
Human Services, Bureau of Elder and Adult Services, $297,121: Increase access to an array of
services provided
to caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s Disease in rural
Maine through a collaboration between providers within Maine’s
Home and Community Based Care System (HBCS), the Aging Network,
and Real Choice System Change Initiatives. The project will
expand the pilot caregiver companion program to rural counties
and add mental health, end of life care and hospice referral
services for clients/families affected by AD served by the
HBCS and AAAs. The project will expand the focus of the ADRC’s
to include family caregivers. Priority will be on increasing
end of life care and hospice services in aging programs. Finally,
the project will recognize direct care workers trained in dementia
care in collaboration with the Direct Care Workforce Demonstration. Minnesota
Board on Aging, $311,150: The Minnesota Working Together
project will implement systems change effort to connect the medical
and community care systems to create an integrated service system
for caregivers and individuals with dementia to increase dementia
identification, assessment, treatment and caregiver respite.
Missouri Department
of Health and Senior Services, Division of Senior Services
and Regulation, $230,523: “Empowerment
Groups” will provide an innovative community respite model
for individuals in the earlier stages of Alzheimer’s based
on their capacity to self-direct care and supporting a sense
of purpose and value for the individual. A security support program
addressing difficulties with wandering behavior. “Staying
Home” grant funding to expand care support options for
those individuals in the later stages of a dementia. Contracting
with the four (4) chapters of the Alzheimer’s Association,
Missouri will strengthen the mounting movement towards strength-based
care, responsiveness to individual philosophy of life and bolstering
opportunities to remain in the home longer.
Nevada Department
of Human Resources, Division of Aging Services, $311,150: Fund and coordinate four
dementia-related service providers.
These providers will target Nevada’s rural residents, those
with early stage dementia, and both urban and rural under-served
minorities. These and all other dementia-related services will
be integrated into all home and community-based services (HCBS)
networks through the Division’s computerized Single Point
of Entry (SPE) system. SPE is based on a robust software platform
(“SYNERGY”) that integrated databases, including
those providing resources and referral options.
New Mexico Aging
and Long-Term Services Department, $311,150:
Develop and implement respite care services, particularly community
based adult day care, targeting underserved communities and tribes
in rural New Mexico. ALTSDA will provide regional caregiver support
services to be coordinated by Area Agencies on Aging throughout
New Mexico. AAAs will employ regional care coordinators who will
provide individual client services, training and advocacy. Care
coordinators will receive many of their referrals from the ALTSD
Aging and Disability Resource Center.
North Carolina
Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Aging
and Adult Services, $311,150: Implement
consumer-directed
respite for dementia caregivers in ten counties. . The aging
service delivery system will be bolstered by the integration
of dementia-capable resources into the Family Caregiver Support
Program, the new Aging and Disability Resource Centers, and
the state long-term care plan. Products to be disseminated
include dementia-specific materials on family decision-making
and consumer-directed service use, guidelines on how to respond
to caregiver anger, materials on rural and minority family
care topics, visiting tips for faith-based volunteers, and
a policy paper based on the grant experience and literature
review. North
Dakota Department of Human Services, Aging Services Division,
$261,150: ND Working Together project will build an alliance
between the medical community, Parish Nurses, OAA and community
services to increase dementia identification, treatment and caregiver
respite with a special focus on rural areas and American Indian
reservations. A University of ND dementia curriculum will train
a pool of Qualified Service Providers (QSPs) with expertise in
dementia care. Two medical systems will provide protocols, tools
and training to the medical community to facilitate assessment,
treatment and referral for enhanced respite services.
Rhode Island Department
of Elderly Affairs, $294,050: Support RI’s Systems Change Initiatives, particularly the new ADRC,
by developing and strengthening statewide resources for AD families,
especially minority families and those at or near the poverty
line. Changes in RI’s overall home and community-based
system of long-term care will result from streamlining access
to services and family caregiver support services for AD families.
An interagency Project Advisory Group, comprising advocates and
consumers as well as AD and aging professionals, will guide and
oversee this three-year effort.
South Dakota Department
of Social Services, Office of Adult Services and Aging, (1
year) $225,000: Identify
the needs of
individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementia
and their paid and unpaid family caregivers. Once the needs have
been identified, a coordinated system of care and training to
meet these needs will be developed. A main focus of the planning
committee will be the identification of the number of people
with this disease who live in South Dakota, where they are located
and measuring the effectiveness of the current support system.
Training for paid and unpaid caregivers will be developed and
a program that offers direct supportive services for caregivers
will be a priority.
Tennessee Commission
on Aging and Disability, $311,150: Provide respite services for about 300 persons with
Alzheimer’s
Disease and their caregivers in five (5) counties. Implementation
of the coping with caregiving REACH model in Tennessee; health
promotion/disease prevention provided to Alzheimer’s caregivers
in collaboration with the National Family Caregiving Support
Program; a media campaign to assist the project; implementation
of family directed care in the Tennessee Aging Services; exploration
of potential program enhancements for Tennessee in-home services,
making them more responsive to the needs of caregivers.
Vermont Dept
of Aging and Independent Living, Division of Advocacy and Independence,
$311,150: Develop and implement supportive,
educational and/or direct service interventions for caregivers
of people with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders
(ADRD). The project will serve 450 households, targeting family
caregivers with low incomes, caregivers residing in rural,
underserved areas of the state and supportive services teams
caring for people with ADRD and developmental disabilities.
VT DAIL will link project activities to VT’s community
based long-term system, enhancing existing services and developing
new resources, such as case management and eldercare mental
health within primary care practices; dementia care capable
developmental service teams; and caregiver wellness and supportive
services projects.
Virginia Department
for the Aging, $311,150:
Initiate three new projects to improve services to older Virginians
and their
families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders
(AD) and to better integrate Alzheimer’s disease programs
into the long-term care services system. The first project will
provide respite care to families caring for persons with AD.
The second project will demonstrate the viability of the systems
changes that will result from the development of a Comprehensive
Virtual Center on Alzheimer’s Disease. The third and final
project will initiate the development of affordable driver assessment
and rehabilitation programs in Virginia targeted to drivers in
the very early stages of AD. VDA will also reactivate the state-level
Alzheimer’s Disease Response Task Force (ADRTF), created
under the department’s first ADDGS grant, to provide ongoing
guidance during the implementation and evaluation of the three
objectives..
Wisconsin Department
of Health and Family Services, Division of Disability and Elder
Services, $311,150:
Demonstrations of
Memory Care Connections, a model of local collaboration aligning
dementia services provided by diagnostic clinics, Aging/Disability
Resource Centers, Alzheimer’s Association Chapters and
service providers. The goal is to provide individuals and families
affected by Alzheimer’s disease with the information, medical
diagnosis and management, caregiver support and services needed
to achieve improved quality of life through closely connected
local dementia services networks. Local sites will be funded
to deploy nurses/social workers to link consumers with the dementia
service network.
Wyoming Department
of Health, Aging Division, (1 year) $150,000: Improve the coordination of outreach
to, and services for, people
with Alzheimer’s Disease/dementia and their caregivers.
The goals are to better understand the need of AD families in
Wyoming, increase knowledge bases regarding AD, raise awareness
of available resources, and create a more effective, responsive
network of services that strengthen community based in-home care
recipients and support the needs of caregivers.
Continuing Grants
The following 14 states also received
grants for their continuing efforts to serve persons with Alzheimer’s
disease. Descriptions of the projects are listed below:
Colorado State
Board of Agriculture, Colorado State University, $350,000: To increase the availability
of home health care, companion
services, support groups, and related services to individuals
with dementia and their families in rural Colorado. Models of
respite care provided by faith-based groups, civic organizations,
and volunteers will be examined. The project will also develop
and provide family and professional training about Alzheimer’s
disease and dementia.
Connecticut Department
of Social Services, Division of Social Work and Prevention
Services, $250,000:
To provide community
outreach, awareness, clinical and supportive services to persons
in various stages of Alzheimer’s disease and their families
in low-income, rural, and ethnic/cultural communities. Population
specific brochures, evaluation/assessment tools, training manuals,
and treatment manuals will be distributed to social service/health
care agencies and non-traditional agencies like faith communities,
ethnic/advocacy organizations, etc.
Idaho Commission
on Aging, $320,348:
To provide a network of services and a single point of entry
for people with Alzheimer’s
Disease and their families through the “Stand By You” Program.
Supportive services will include a ‘Family Advisor’ for
the caregiver, monthly orientations to Alzheimer’s Disease,
nine-week in-depth training courses for individuals, couples
and family members, and responsive paid and informal respite
and companion services and dementia-specific training for providers.
Kansas Department
on Aging, $225,000:
To provide care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease
by nurturing strengths in an environment that offers art and
creativity through the development of an
Arts and Inspiration Center. Project also will increase access
through respite mini-grants that target rural and Hispanic elders.
A statewide education and information campaign includes Breakfast
Clubs to support and educate family caregivers.
Kentucky Cabinet
for Health Services, $212,970: To increase
awareness of dementia and utilization of services by the African-American
community. This program will offer dementia diagnostic services
for African-Americans in their communities and offer two separate
services through local churches: 1) support groups and 2) a Best
Friends care program.
Michigan Department
on Community Health, $272,355: To integrate various systems to improve care for
persons with dementia. Test
models of support services, focus on care coordination between
physicians, families, and voluntary health organizations, improve
education, training, and access to resources and information,
and enhance the efficiency of statewide voluntary health organizations
for Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s
diseases.
Mississippi Department
of Mental Health, 239,223: To develop volunteer-staffed day respite programs with
targeted outreach
and service delivery to African Americans. Project will expand
the capacities of existing in-home and group respite, homemakers,
and personal care services, and to improve the long-term
care workforce by providing educational training programs. Nebraska
Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Aging
and Disability Services, $326,000:
To provide consumer-directed
services to persons with AD and their caregivers in diverse underserved
segments of Nebraska. Program will offer mental health services,
individual volunteer mentors and expanded training and education
to caregivers suffering from mental distress, as well as direct
financial support in the form of vouchers. Program will also
work to enhance efficiency of statewide voluntary health organizations
for Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s
diseases.
New York State
Office for the Aging, Albany, NY - $266,883 - To develop direct services to persons
with developmental disabilities
(DD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) designed to help them
remain in family and group homes in their communities. The project
will provide information, training, and support group services
to family caregivers, and develop comprehensive professional
training programs to create an AD/DD competent workforce.
Oklahoma Department
of Human Services, Oklahoma City, OK - $338, 363 -To develop an in-home respite and companion visitation and
support program using mentors and volunteers, working in teams,
to provide direct home and community based services targeted
to African American, Native American and rurally isolated populations.
The project will train students to deliver specialized dementia
care and support their on-the-job training program through mentors
and on-site front line workers at adult day care and respite
programs.
Pennsylvania Department
of Aging, Harrisburg, PA -$349,012 -To
develop the Pennsylvania Memory Loss Screening Program designed
to create dementia screening and service delivery focused on
serving Latino/Hispanic American, Asian-American, African American
and rural Pennsylvanians will be developed. The project will
target the integration of medical and social support services.
Facility based, in-home and overnight respite and adult day care
are provided. The grant is also designed to serve people with
early on-set dementia (before the age of 60) regardless of race.
Puerto Rico Governor’s Office
for Elderly Affairs, Education and Training Division, $300,000:
To provide a comprehensive home-based
support service model for Hispanic Persons with Alzheimer Disease
(AD) and their caregivers. Participants will have available a
variety of respite services, home health care, companionship,
homemaker services and case management, as well as information
and training to strengthen their skills and well being. Advisory
Council will play an active role in planning, implementation
and evaluation activities.
Utah Department
of Human Serivces, Division of Aging and Adult Services, $300,000: To increase access to community-based respite
services and develop a system of in-home respite care that
is volunteer driven for persons with Alzheimer’s disease
and related dementias and their caregivers in rural areas of
the state and/or minority communities. Program will develop
relationships with diverse organizations and faith based programs
to mobilize and train volunteer.
West Virginia
Bureau of Senior Services, $250,000: To identify and address needs of rural West Virginia
families struggling
with Alzheimer’s disease. A dementia care component will
be added to the required CNA curriculum. In-home respite grants
will be awarded to aging network providers not currently offering
respite services. Grants will also be awarded to enhance or establish
daycare programs in rural communities. An improved, statewide,
toll-free help line will be created, and merit badges in Alzheimer’s
disease, dementia, and the aging process will be developed for
community and faith-based youth organizations.
AoA Alzheimer’s
Web page
The AoA Alzheimer’s Resource Room is a web-page on the
AoA website which provides information and tips to family members
and caregivers providing care for persons with Alzheimer’s
disease. The site also provides information, outreach, and service
development strategies for professionals serving Alzheimer’s
families. Many products and resources developed through the AoA
Alzheimer’s Demonstration Program are listed, along with
contact information for obtaining copies for local use. Family
education and outreach materials in several languages, as well
as community and facility-based Alzheimer’s care training
manuals are among the highlighted resources. Links to information
about important clinical trials as well as to caregiver resources
should prove of interest to professionals and family members
alike.
Additional Info
Additional information about the ADDGS program is available by
contacting Lori Stalbaum at (202) 357-3452. Information about
the AoA and programs and services it administers for older
adults and their families is available on the web at: www.aoa.gov.
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