Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer's disease (AD)
often experience significant stress caused by their daily caregiving
responsibilities. Some caregivers who
feel the need for respite may be able to rely on family or friends to assume
their caregiving responsibilities for a brief period of time at no monetary
cost. Some caregivers may live near
facilities or organizations where they can enroll their loved ones in social day
care programs which would then allow caregivers a period of respite each week. Costs for such programs vary around the
country. Similarly, some assisted living
facilities and adult homes may admit a person with AD for a limited number of
days to permit the caregiver to have some respite, but such facilities may
charge a considerable fee for such a service.
However, there are some programs that provide periods of
respite for AD caregivers at no cost.
Readers who want to learn more about these programs should go to the websites of these
organizations to learn more.
The National Administration on Aging (http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/AoA_Programs/HCLTC/Caregiver/index.aspx)
provides information on respite opportunities that may be available to you through
their National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP). This program funds state partnerships with
community service groups to provide support for family caregivers. Another federal government site, Alzheimer's Help (http://www.alzheimers.gov/help.html)
also provides information for AD caregivers about respite opportunities, with
suggested contact information for additional organizations.
The Senior Companion program (http://www.seniorcorps.org/rsvp/senior-companions/)
is one of several programs provided by Senior Corps, a national volunteer
program that coordinates volunteers aged 55 and over to provide assistance in
their local communities. If your
community has such a program, volunteers may be able to provide free respite
for AD caregivers by providing several hours supervising loved ones or helping
with household chores.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (http://www.caregiver.va.gov/support/support_services.asp)
offers programs designed specifically to support caregivers of veterans,
including up to 30 days of respite per year, either in the caregiver's home
"or through temporary placement of a Veteran at a VA Community Living
Center, a VA-contracted Community Residential Care Facility, or an Adult Day
Health Care Center." The VA will
also provide respite care "in response to a Family Caregiver's unexpected
hospitalization, a need to go out of town, or a family emergency."
State Lifespan
Programs (http://archrespite.org/lifespan-programs)
are offered by various states that have applied for grants provided by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services through its Administration for
Community Living. More than 30 states
have already received such grants to provide respite programs. To see if your state is a recipient of a
Lifespan grant, readers should go directly to the Lifespan website. Different states offer different programs.
The Family Caregiver Alliance (http://www.caregiver.org) is a non-profit
organization that maintains a resource center in the San Francisco Bay area of
California that provides respite opportunities.
The Alliance also maintains a map with a separate Family Care Navigator (https://www.caregiver.org/family-care-navigator)
where caregivers can click on their own state and be referred to specific
information about caregiver respite programs available in that state.
Hope Health (http://hopehealthco.org/HopeDementiaRespite)
is the largest non-profit hospice and palliative care provider in New
England. Caregivers in Rhode Island and
Massachusetts are able to apply for three types of respite grants ... in-home
care, adult day care, and in-facility overnight care ... once each year. The in-home grant provides a nurse at no cost
for three three-hour periods to allow caregivers to attend Hope Health support
groups.
Road Scholar (http://www.roadscholar.org) is the
nation's largest not-for-profit educational travel organization, dedicated to
inspiring adults to learn, discover, and travel by enlisting world-renowned
faculty and local experts to immerse participants in experiential learning
activities. In 2015, Road Scholar
created The Caregiver Grant (https://www.roadscholar.org/about/financial-assistance/caregiver-grants)
to provide respite time for family caregivers by providing grants of up to
$1300 to help offset costs of an educational travel experience. Individuals 50 and older living in the United
States and currently serving as caregivers ... or caregivers who have lost
loved ones within the past two years ... are eligible to apply for a grant,
regardless of whether the loved one is receiving or had received home care,
adult day care, hospice care, memory care, nursing home care, visiting nurses,
or comparable or related services.
Caregiver Grant recipients are responsible for their own
transportation to and from their travel destination, but Road Scholar will
cover all other costs ... accommodations, meals, taxes, gratuities, a travel
protection plan, and any fees for lectures and activities up to that $1300 amount. Specific information about Road Scholar
caregiver grants, including application forms, may be found on their website.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you would like me to respond to questions or comments
about this article, please email me directly at acvann@optonline.net. You can learn more about my journey with
Alzheimer's at www.allansvann.blogspot.com
where you can also read my other articles about Alzheimer's disease that have
been published in caregiver magazines, medical journals, and in major
newspapers. You can read my Alzheimer’s
blog columns on The Huffington Post at www.huffingtonpost.com/allan-s-vann.
Published in Today’s Caregiver, February 7, 2017. Access online only at:
Very Informative and Useful. I was looking for assisted Living in Denver CO and found post. Thanks for sharing such a useful info on web.
ReplyDelete