Dementia is a term applied to brain diseases that affect people’s ability to think, as well as their daily functioning. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia among older adults. ACL provides grants that support state and community efforts to increase the availability of dementia-capable services and supports to persons with Alzheimer's and related dementias and their caregivers.
Alzheimer’s Disease Programs Initiative (ADPI)
In 2018 ACL merged their separate state and community dementia programs, ADSSP and ADI-SSS to create the Alzheimer’s Disease Programs Initiative (ADPI). The ADPI is comprised of three components designed to support individuals living with ADRD and their caregivers within their communities:
-
Cooperative agreement/grants funding states and communities for the development and implementation of person-centered services and supports, as well as partnerships with public and private entities to identify and address the unique needs of persons with ADRD and their caregivers;
- Cooperative agreement/grant funding in support of the National Alzheimer’s Call Center, and
- Contract to fund the activities of the National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center (NADRC).
In an effort to fill some identified gaps in existing systems that support caregivers and people with ADRD, the ADPI dedicates resources for states and community-based organizations with proven capability in the provision of both services and training to targeted special populations. Through the ADPI, ACL issues two classes of competitive grants under a single program umbrella. Eligible entities are those states intending to develop/expand the dementia capability of their HCBS system, and community based organizations (CBO) operating within an existing dementia-capable system committed to the expansion of the capability of the system within which they operate. Eligible CBOs are those prepared to address identified dementia service gaps through expansion of their on-going activities. Collectively these grants will seek to achieve the following objectives:
- Create state-wide, person-centered, dementia-capable home and community-based service systems;
- Translate and implement evidence-based supportive services for persons with ADRD and their caregivers at the community level;
- Work with public and private entities to identify and address the special needs of persons with ADRD and their caregivers; and
- Offer direct services and supports to thousands of persons with ADRD and their caregivers.
Alzheimer’s Disease Supportive Services Program (ADSSP) (Final three-year grant cycle awarded in 2017)
ADSSP grants support state efforts to expand the availability of community-level supportive services to persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD) and their caregivers. The program began in 1992 as the Alzheimer's Disease Demonstration Grants to States, created by Section 398 of the Public Health Services Act. The ADSSP evolved over the years, moving from innovative practices and evidence-based grants to programs focusing on building dementia capability within state systems. Presently, the ADSSP focuses on the development of systems that ensure access to sustainable, integrated long-term services and supports that are capable of meeting the needs of persons with ADRD and their caregivers to help them remain independent and healthy in the community.
States that benefit from the ADSSP grant program include the following activities in their programs:
- Delivery of supportive services and facilitation of informal support for persons with ADRD and their family caregivers using proven models and innovative practice
- Translation of evidence-based models that have proven beneficial for persons with ADRD and their family caregivers into community-level practice; and
- Advancement of state initiatives toward coordinated systems of home and community-based care – linking public, private, and nonprofit entities that develop and deliver supportive services for individuals with ADRD and their family caregivers
More on ACL/AoA's Alzheimer's and Dementia programs can be found at https://nadrc.acl.gov/.
Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative-Specialized Supportive Services (ADI-SSS) (Final three-year grants cycle awarded in 2017)
Begun in 2014, the ADI-SSS grant program was designed to fill gaps in dementia-capable long-term services and supports at the community level for persons living with or at high risk of developing ADRD and their caregivers. ADI-SSS program funding was open to a wide variety of both public and private, dementia capable, entities. The program supports quality, person-centered services that help people with ADRD remain independent and safe in their communities. The ADI-SSS program supports the development, improvement, and provision of supportive services to persons living alone with ADRD in communities; programs and services dedicated to individuals aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities with ADRD or those at high risk of developing ADRD; and behavioral symptom management training and expert consultation to family caregivers.
More on ACL/AoA's Alzheimer’s and Dementia programs can be found at https://nadrc.acl.gov/.
National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center (NADRC)
ACL and the Administration on Aging (AoA) funds the NADRC. The goals of the NADRC include, but are not limited to, the provision of expert technical assistance to ACL/AoA and its grantees, as well as making program information and resources available to individuals and organizations outside the Alzheimer’s grantee community.
The NADRC website contains a broad range of program-related materials to aid grantees, professionals, and formal and informal caregivers. Materials on the NADRC website include issue briefs, webinar recordings, and related PowerPoint presentations, and numerous tools that support service providers and caregivers. The NADRC website is located at https://nadrc.acl.gov/
National Alzheimer’s Call Center
The National Call Center is available to people in 56 states and territories, 24/7, 365 days a year, to provide expert advice, care consultation, information, and referrals at the national and local levels. Trained professional customer service staff and social workers with master’s degrees are available at all times. The Call Center can help with questions about memory problems, how to deal with challenging behaviors, and tips for taking care of someone with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. When people call the National Alzheimer’s Call Center, they receive information & referrals, which include local Alzheimer’s Association chapters, ADRCs/AAAs, Adult Protective Services, Alzheimer’s Disease Centers, adult day service, assisted living & other service providers. Visit the National Alzheimer’s Call Center website at https://www.alz.org/we_can_help_24_7_helpline.asp