1992 - 2000

California Department of Health Services' (CDHS) Alzheimer's Disease Program, $450,000 - collaborated with the California Departments of Aging, Mental Health, and Social Services, as well as with a coalition of public, private, and voluntary agencies to develop the demonstration project. The original goals were to develop and provide culturally and linguistically competent educational, medical, social, and supportive services for Hispanic/Latino dementia-affected persons, their families, and caregivers. This was further expanded to include service development in the African American community. These dementia care networks are supportive of families through community partnerships. In addition, an adult day services institute was established to improve the quality of dementia day care services in under-served communities. This is accomplished through training, a resource library, and ongoing technical assistance. An important primary health care linkage begun in Year 6 has been the development of post-diagnostic Guidelines for AD Management. This has been a unique collaborative effort involving government, consumers, providers, academia, and the community. Activities to promote the dissemination and implementation of the Guidelines include multimedia coverage, provider training and education, as well as the development of support tools.

District of Columbia Office on Aging, $385,000 - Developed relationships with primary care organization to improve the care provided to elderly Washingtonians suffering from dementia. Provided a coordinated system of services to older Washingtonians suffering from dementia. Served older people with dementia who live alone and learn more about their special needs and characteristics. As a final product, developed a manual and video to educate providers and families on how to assist people with Alzheimer's disease who live alone to remain independent and safe.

Florida Department of Elder Affairs, $490,000 - FAVOR (Florida Alzheimer's Volunteers Offering Respite) used volunteers to assist minority or low-income persons with Alzheimer's disease and their families or unpaid caregivers. Services provided include adult day care, group respite, in-home respite, transportation, screening and diagnosis, and personal care by certified home health agencies. The majority of service hours were for center-based and in-home respite. All volunteers and staff involved in the FAVOR program are provided culturally-relevant Alzheimer's care training. There is also a training initiative that outreaches primary care providers to educate a expose them to the needs and concerns of geriatric patients suffering from memory loss.

Georgia Division of Aging Services, $271,288 - Seven-day care and in-home respite programs have been developed in rural Georgia. This development included the creation of mobile day care, which enables two communities to have their own day care while sharing staff that travels between the two locations. Additional projects have included: 1) a self directed care model, where caregivers choose and make arrangements for services they deem best meet their needs by use of vouchers, 2) assistive technology and home modifications, and 3) a health and wellness project for persons with AD and their caregivers which provides diabetes screenings, osteoporosis screenings, blood pressure checks, and foot care. Additional services provided through the grant include transportation, homemaker services, and support groups. In all, more than 9,900 persons have received over 62,500 units of direct service.

Executive Office on Aging (Hawaii), $217,000 - The project has funded and developed caregivers respite programs and public health education programs for the public and for the medical professional community as well. Three videos and instructional booklets about Alzheimer's disease and caregiver information were developed by the project. They are available in English (Hawaiian style), llocano and Vietnamese languages. The major service component of the program was the provision of in-home respite services. The main service provider was Project Dana, a volunteer caregiver respite program sponsored by Moiliili Hongwanji Mission in Honolulu. Project Dana is a coalition of Buddhist temples and Christian churches which serves approximately 250 families yearly. It has continued to be the major provider of services throughout the life of the project.

Maine Bureau of Elder & Adult Services, $280,000 - Eighteen agencies around the state participated in the project. Federal and State funded in-home respite is now available statewide for Alzheimer's families. Overnight respite is also offered at residential care facilities, nursing facilities, or at home. Six Alzheimer's evaluation programs exist statewide to diagnose and evaluate dementia. The six evaluation teams consist of a physician, social worker, and often a nurse. Education, training and outreach have been provided all over the state. Training was been provided to residential care facilities statewide, adult family care homes, staff of adult day programs, personal care assistants, hospital staff and tenant service coordinators in housing projects. In all, the Maine's Alzheimer's Project provided outreach to over 16,000 individuals and families; education to 6,922 individuals; and had in-depth contact with 935 people.

Maryland Department of Human Resources, $250,000 - provided services for ethnic minority and older people with AD in rural areas and their families. Focused on the creation of support groups in rural areas and on educating physicians about diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Held annual caregiver's conference and forged relationships with several primary care entities.

Michigan Department of Community Health, $428,776 - Michigan developed dementia-capable adult day care, in-home respite and other support services in 12 underserved regions of the state, under the direction of regional community mental health agencies. A key focus was interagency coordination at state and local levels between mental health, aging, public health and social service agencies and self-help organizations. The grant facilitated the development of seventeen new dementia-specific adult day/group respite programs and two new in-home respite programs. It also expanded the capacity of thirteen in-home respite and five adult day care programs to serve persons with dementia by expanding eligibility criteria, improving staff/consumer ratios and providing ongoing technical assistance and staff development in dementia care approaches. Supportive services were developed and/or expanded for people with dementia and their families in twelve regions of the state (27 of Michigan=s 83 counties). More than 2000 families enrolled in services and roughly 12,000 caregivers participated in training. An Alzheimer=s Primary Care Initiative was implemented during the second phase of the project in FY >96. Outreach and education efforts were expanded to include health professionals in primary care settings in order to improve the identification, screening and delivery of medical and support services to health care consumers with dementia. In addition a consumer satisfaction tool is being developed to measure consumer satisfaction with in-home and center-based respite services from the perspective of users with dementia.

Montana Department Public Health & Human Services, $272,000 - The Montana Alzheimer's Demonstration Project plan is founded on the three goals established in 1992: 1) strengthen the family caregiver, specifically the Native American family; 2) Strengthen the infrastructure of providers of service; 3) and provide educational opportunities to providers, caregivers and the community. Services include day & in-home respite care, education and outreach, case management. This project specifically worked with the Crow and Blackfeet Indian nations.

North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services, $252,904 - The demonstration began in 1993 with three agencies providing in-home respite and two senior centers initiating group respite programs. During the seven years of the grant in North Carolina, 30 of the state's 100 counties have participated, offering dementia-specific respite care, primarily targeting families caring for persons with dementia in rural areas. Thirteen group respite or adult day care/day health programs and 8 in-home respite programs in rural or underserved areas were supported by the grant. Cooperatively with area agencies on aging, sponsored 6 regional one-day conferences on dementia care for paraprofessionals. Three primary care centers sponsored or provided community education. In addition, a curriculum for caregiver self-care was introduced to the state collaboratively with NCSU Cooperative Extension.

Ohio Department on Aging, $370,000 - The Ohio Department of Aging initiated a customized statewide toll-free telephone number which rings automatically into the nearest Alzheimer's Association chapter office. This number is publicized extensively through the media to reach all Ohioans. Through the project, developed four family-centered care management programs through a competitive RFP process at Alzheimer's Association chapters. These four family-directed care management programs are linked with Ohio's Community Health Centers to educate clinic staff regarding AD and related disorders; the impact on the entire family; challenging situations and behaviors; and the Alzheimer's Association itself.

Oregon Senior and Disabled Services Division, $385,000 - Established a statewide toll-free Helpline/Alzheimer's information and referral service. A satellite video teleconference regarding legal/financial planning among families coping with AD or related disorders was broadcast throughout the state for 4 years. Eighteen Brookdale model group respite programs located throughout Oregon were awarded start-up grants. Twelve are currently in operation. More than 500 case managers and agency staff in Oregon's aging network attended specialized dementia training (one 8-hour day). A video user guide package comprised of the best educational videos on diagnosis and treatment of dementia was created for and is being disseminated to health care practitioners in rural and community health care clinics. A managed care initiative to link managed care system to families caring for Alzheimer=s patients with appropriate support services. Finally, the "Best Friends" Initiative, an education targeted to direct caregivers across all care settings including private homes, nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, adult foster homes and residential care facilities, was developed and implemented.

Puerto Rico Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs, $381,074 - Puerto Rico Alzheimer's Services Access Program (PR - ASAP) has developed an island-wide system of support services for caregivers and individuals with Alzheimer's. The demonstration has provided the only dementia specific services on the Island that include: 1) diagnosis; 2) institutional respite (1st year); 3) in-home respite with case management; 4) education and training; 5) support groups; 6) #800 information and referral help line; 7) Primary Health Care; Day Care Center.

South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, $368,000 - Project COPE (Care Options & Public Education) was created under this grant. Over 2,500 families have contacted Project COPE for information or assistance. More than 9,000 people have been impacted through outreach, education, training, care management or respite services. Over 850 families have received respite services through this project. The majority of the elders with Alzheimer=s disease are female. Their mean age is 79.5 years. The majority of families served lived in small towns or rural areas and are cared for by adult children who live in the same household. Through this project new services have been integrated into existing systems and new partnerships have been developed. Additional state funds have provided seed grants to local communities for the development of new respite programs throughout the state. The Alzheimer=s Resource Coordination Center was created within the Office of Senior and Long Term Care Services which is guided by an Advisory Council with members appointed by the Governor to represent 23 organizations. The cooperative, collaborative approach to service development, planning, and delivery has been a central component of the project.