Family Caregiving Awards

Learn more about Alzheimer’s Association Central and Western Virginia Chapter.

Learn more about Fox GERI: Geriatric Education & Research Institute.

Learn more about Interfaith Care Partners.

Learn more about Multicultural Community Services.

Learn more about Langone Medical Center.

Learn more about Partners in Care.

Learn more about Senior Services of Albany.

Learn more about the Kennedy Center.

Learn more about Weill Cornell Medical College.

Learn more about SAGE.

Learn more about the Pro-Bono Counseling Project.

Learn more about the Caregivers Community Network.

Learn more about Dementia Skills Training for the Home Caregiver.

Learn more about DARTS.

Learn more about the Community Action Program East Central Oregon.

Learn more about Lifespan, Al Sigl Center, and , ARC of Monroe County, and Future Care Planning Services.

Learn more about MemoryCare.

Learn more about the Kennedy Center.

Learn more about AFA Teens.

Learn more about the Asian Community Center.

Learn more about Temple University’s Center for Intergenerational Learning.

Learn more about the Alzheimer’s Association-Gulf Coast Chapter.

Learn more about the National Bone Marrow Transplant Link.

Learn more about CancerCare’s Online Caregiver Support Groups.

This innovative program brings volunteer artists together with caregivers to create custom-made journals-each a piece of art-with unique prompts to help caregivers find their voice by providing a safe place to write down their passions, hopes, new ideas, and worries.

Southern Caregiver Resource Center (SCRC) took an uplifting, new approach to reducing risk factors of caregiving, such as emotional and physical isolation, loss of self-esteem, fear, guilt, and anger. Three years ago, SCRC initiated a journaling program called A Space of Beauty, which has made numerous positive changes in the daily lives of caregivers participating in the program. This is no ordinary journaling program. Each unique journal is a piece of art created by an artist and specific to each caregiver.

San Diego artists generously volunteer their time and talent to create individual journals to help support current caregivers on their complex journey. These journals are filled with journaling prompts to encourage writing from the heart. The program includes a class called Steer With Your Pencil to help caregivers get started with putting their deepest thoughts down on paper.

The journals reflect caregivers’ passions, worries, hopes and dreams. Research shows writing is restorative and enhances a caregiver’s physical and mental heath, helps caregivers find their voice, clarifies, their thoughts, provides an opportunity to express gratitude, and helps caregivers be open to new resources in their communities. The journaling prompts that have made the most significant difference are those that help caregivers rediscover their past passions. Writing allows caregivers to step out of their current situation, see it more objectively, and find ways to reconnect with their passions.

This program for caregivers of persons with dementia excels in rising to the challenge of providing comprehensive support for a rapidly growing, racially diverse, rural retirement community.

The Home Educator began seven years ago to provide support, education, counseling, and consultation for caregivers at home and in the community. The program was designed to create easy access to assistance and a full range of services for older persons and their caregivers. The goal of the program is to make the caregiver’s life easier and relieve some of the stress associated with the caregiving responsibility. Many caregivers served by the program live on the remote islands off the coast of Beaufort County. Because caregiving crosses all boundaries, this program responds to the mix of cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, and races within Beaufort County.

Home Educator staff meets with the caregiver in the privacy of their home to assess the need for services and the level of Alzheimer’s disease of the care recipient. Information about Alzheimer’s disease is reviewed, an application for services completed, and a medical report requested for the older adult and caregiver to register for one or more of the agency’s many support programs. Home Educator staff stays in close contact with the caregiver through weekly phone calls and follow-up meetings as needed. This contact is critical because of the emotional issues the caregiver confronts every day. Evening hours are available each day for caregivers to telephone the Home Educator staff for consultation or conversation. A sense of comfort, security, and responsiveness is extended to caregivers who are often lonely and isolated.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers is a highly effective educational program providing family caregivers with the skills and confidence to better care for themselves while caring for someone with a chronic illness.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC) consists of a six-week 2-1/2 hour program for up to 15 caregivers co-led by trained facilitators who employ a standardized curriculum. This program was developed over a three-year period of pilot testing, refinement, and evaluative research to assess the program’s effectiveness. Caregivers learn how to utilize community resources; better manage their stress; communicate effectively with friends, family and healthcare providers; cope with difficult emotions; and take steps to better care for themselves.

All PTC training materials including the class leaders’ script, flipcharts, presentations, video, relaxation exercises, and a supplemental guide written especially for the course are available in English and Spanish. A 90-minute six-week series and an on-line version of the program are also available. The six-week PTC class has been shown to have a significant positive impact on caregiver health for a diverse group of caregivers including spousal/partner caregivers, adult children and other family caregivers in a variety of settings, including those living in rural and ethnic minority communities. Data from class participant evaluations indicates: significant improvement in self-care behaviors, including exercise and use of relaxation techniques; increased ability to manage difficult emotions, including reduced anger, guilt, and depression; increased self-efficacy in coping with caregiving demands; and increased use of community services.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers is a national program sustained by extensive collaborations with community-based organizations. The program has reached more than 15,000 family caregivers in over 20 states.

One of the nation’s premier caregiver legal aid programs, JustCare offers pioneering educational trainings and clinics to low-income disabled adults, caregivers, and professionals throughout Los Angeles County promoting knowledge about advance planning and protecting seniors’ full and equal access to rights and justice.

JustCare: Caregiver Education Project offers highly innovative and effective strategies to address the major problems confronting low-income disabled and elderly Los Angelenos and their caregivers. JustCare has pioneered groundbreaking community models in legal literacy, and today is the leader in helping over 4,000 low-income disabled adults and their caregivers. JustCare’s pioneering approach of direct legal representation combined with outreach, education and training directly empowers vulnerable people with the knowledge and tools needed to protect their rights, gain full and equal access to justice, address basic legal issues on their own, and secure vital necessities like safe and affordable housing, fair wages, health care, and public benefits.

The JustCare program includes free multi-lingual workshops; innovative trainings for professionals and agencies who provide services to caregivers; publications such as The Caregiver Companion, a manual that addresses the most frequently encountered problems and issues regarding complex laws and regulations governing benefits available to caregivers and their elderly and disabled family members; one-stop legal clinics; and extensive outreach to isolated areas of Los Angeles City and County, ensuring that caregivers and their families have access to a wide array of educational materials, legal counseling, and other services in areas related to caregiver support. JustCare’s materials and publications reach an estimated 50,000-100,000 caregivers who would otherwise be forced to navigate complex healthcare, housing, and benefits information on their own.

Developed by an interdisciplinary team in response to a community request, this highly successful educational program provides an effective approach in assisting rural caregivers cope with the multi-faceted aspects of Alzheimer’s disease.

Since 2002, the Montana State University Extension Service has collaborated with the Alzheimer’s Association Montana Chapter to increase the awareness and support for family caregivers through assistance with conferences and participation on the board of directors. Although conferences on the topic of Alzheimer’s disease are held annually, the location and time away from caregiving precluded most rural caregivers from attending. This need led to a request to hold a conference in a rural area of the state.

Due to the rural nature of the state, Alzheimer’s patients and their families are often isolated with few resources and supports creating greater challenges for the caregiver. Because of this and based on feedback from community professionals/practitioners and constituents, it was decided that each topic specialist spend a week in an area of the state presenting his or her seminar in several communities. This allowed more caregivers to participate in the series without having to leave their communities. The result was the development of a five-week educational series-The Alzheimer’s Caregiving Series- using diverse effective adult educational strategies in two and a half hour seminars focusing on: an introduction to Alzheimer’s disease; family interactions and caregiver stress; nutrition; financial planning and legal issues; and Alzheimer’s proofing the home. Program evaluations indicate that caregiver participants have significantly increased their self-confidence in caregiving and feel much better prepared for their role as a caregiver.

Long-term Care Choices was developed to assist older Minnesotans and their caregivers to age well, live well, plan well and care well.

Developed through a collaborative effort among numerous aging and disability-related agencies and organizations, Long-term Care Choices is a widely used web-based decision tool for seniors, families, caregivers, and professionals. This tool can be used to identify needs, locate community services, and create a plan of care. People using Long-term Care Choices can learn about the various housing and care options available in Minnesota and receive a personal plan based on their needs. This program empowers caregivers to have more control in developing the care recipient’s care plan on a continuing basis. Anyone can use the tool at any time by logging onto www.longtermcarechoices.minnesotahelp.info.

Long-Term Care Choices is comprised of eight assessments; a section outlining housing options; a page to assist people relocate from a nursing home; and a guide called Next Steps for families who want to begin talking about long-term care needs. A completed assessment will generate a set of local service providers and add the service to a plan that is forming behind the scenes. When the user has completed the questions and selected services to meet their needs, the survey can be printed or saved. Information is stored on a secure server that can be accessed only with a valid login and password. Multiple plans can be developed for the same person to track conditions over time or a single plan can be modified as needs change.

Caregiver Telephone Support Groups bring the support of peers and a professional social worker right to the caregiver, in the comfort and convenience of his or her own home.

Using teleconferencing technology to facilitate a support group eliminates barriers and allows group participation for many individuals otherwise unable to access such support. Caring for a loved one is often an isolating experience. Telephone Groups can reach caregivers isolated by distance, commitments, disability, transportation or social withdrawal. As operator of the teleconference, the group leader calls each group member and monitors the call via a webpage. Participants never navigate an automated system, have a charge on their phone bill, nor need any special equipment.

This technology is very effective, while at the same time inexpensive and user-friendly. Most agencies with caregiver programs sponsor support groups, but may struggle with issues of attendance, accessibility or reach. Such agencies can modify their existing program to include a telephone-based group using simple technology, which requires no up-front financial investment, and can train leaders with available manuals. The affordable, no-special-technical-abilities-needed and readily replicable qualities of this program set it apart from other support groups.

The results from a program evaluation indicated that adult children had increases in positive social interaction and emotional/informational support, effectiveness, knowledge of services, how to access services, and use of services. Adult child caregivers also had decreases in stress, strain and depression rates.

Drawing from their experiences as mothers swapping babysitting with other mothers, a group of caregivers formed the Caregiver Cooperative Model (co-Op) that operates as a caregiver-volunteer respite program in which caregivers “earn and buy” respite time with other Co-op members.

The mission of the Asian Community Center (ACC) is to promote the general welfare and enhance quality of life by identifying, developing and providing culturally sensitive health and social services for older adults and their caregivers. In 2003, the caregivers of the ACC Drop-In Respite developed the Caregiver Cooperative Model (Co-op) as a means to expand respite services. Caregivers participating in the Drop-In Respite program formed the Co-op, which operates as a caregiver-volunteer respite program that “earns and buys respite time with the Co-op.

The ACC challenged the traditional notion that respite is an opportunity for renewal where caregivers must break “away” from the care receiver. As Co-op members, family caregivers volunteer in the program once a month, equivalent to one respite day, in exchange for a full month of participation for their care receiver. Experiencing first-hand what the program is all about and by working collaboratively, Co-op members have control over how the program is run. They actively participate in, develop ways, and mutually experience creative ideas on ways to physically and mentally stimulate their loved ones at the program and at home.

Open to everyone, the Co-op delivers the respite program to Asians of Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino decent. Special characteristics of this service population lies in the disadvantages they face due to language barriers, cognitive and/or physical disabilities, and their unlikely willingness to access social and health services geared towards other population.

Eldercare Partners is the service provision arm of the Strategic Alliance for Senior Services (SASS). SASS unites four of the most respected nonprofit organizations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. We member organizations are geographically well-distributed and represent numerous points on the long term care spectrum including caregiver support, home health care, transportation, volunteer services, senior centers, housing, and more. We all have deep community roots, having been in service from 32 to 106 years. In 1999 we came together as a charitable supporting organization with a mission to preserve and enhance community-based, high quality, nonprofit services for elders and their family caregivers through the cooperative efforts of the member organizations. Our first venture in 2000 was a market-rate care management service. Recognizing the need for innovative approaches to caregiver support and education, we launched Eldercare Partners Caregiver Services in 2002.

Through our Caregiver Services program, family consultants coach and counsel family caregivers so they have the information, skills, and life-balance tools to confidently provide care for as long as possible. Some caregivers simply have general questions about resources for themselves or the person they are caring for, and our family consultants advise them about community resources that will meet their needs. The heart of the program, though, is ongoing caregiver coaching and counseling.

Located in the mountains of southwestern Virginia in the midst of Central Appalachia, Mountain Empire Older Citizens, Inc. (MEOC), a private non-profit corporation, is the designated area agency on aging, public transit entity and Children’s Advocacy Center for the Virginia Counties of Lee, Wise and Scott and the City of Norton. Established in 1974 with a small $12,500 planning grant, MEOC presently operates a $5.2 million budget using 87 different funding sources to provide 35 direct services to older individuals and their families.

The Stroke of Hope Club, Inc. began by offering monthly support group meetings for stroke “victors” and their families. From the first meeting, our meetings offered information in general, and also an opportunity for caregivers to meet separately from stroke “victors” in order to gain the support they so desperately need. Over the past 22 years, our organization has seen incredible growth. What has remained unchanged is that there are no dues or fees charged for our programs, although donations are accepted, and that we rely on volunteers for over 95% of our programs and services.

The Alliance educates professionals who work directly with family caregivers. We are not a professional organization for paid caregivers. We have a statewide network of advanced instructors, or master trainers, who train individuals as class leaders in four caregiving curricula. Class leaders go on to conduct classes for family caregivers throughout the state. The Alliance also organizes a biennial Family Caregiver Institute; offers caregiving resources on our website (fact sheets, newsletters, publications and web links to state and national organizations); supports local caregiving coalitions; and creates networking opportunities. The Alliance has existed for six years and has trained some 400 individuals – educators, social workers, health-care providers, aging-network professionals and others – as class leaders in one or more of four curricula. Class leaders have, in turn, reached more than 2,000 Wisconsin family caregivers through workshops, consultations, support groups and other activities.

he Alzheimer’s Association’s mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for diverse populations with dementia, their families and caregivers; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our overall goal in Los Angeles is to meet the needs of an ethnically and culturally diverse population by developing and testing innovative models of service delivery for at-risk and under-served populations with Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

The Asian American Dementia Care Network builds upon inter-organizational collaboration to develop and provide dementia care services in under-served ethnic communities. The Network brings together nonprofits, community stakeholders, and government entities to problem solve together in order to fulfill community needs in a culturally acceptable manner. The goals of a Dementia Care Network are to: (1) Establish linkages and build trust between local community organizations and the Alzheimer’s Association; (2) Assess community needs and barriers to service delivery; (3) Implement linguistically and culturally appropriate community outreach and education to reach caregiving families; (4) Facilitate access to existing services; (5) Facilitate program development and expansion; and (6) Evaluate existing translated information, develop linguistically and culturally appropriate materials, and disseminate them to the community through provider networks.

Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) is a not-for-profit organization that offers programs at national, state and local levels to support and sustain caregivers. Founded in 1977 by a small task force of families and community leaders in San Francisco, their commitment was to create support services for those struggling to provide long term care for a loved one who did not “fit” into traditional health systems: adults with Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, Parkinson’s, traumatic brain injuries and other debilitating disorders. Despite diverse diagnoses, the founding families shared common challenges: isolation, lack of information, few community resources, and changes in family roles. Their efforts formed Family Caregiver Alliance; began a statewide network of Caregiver Resource Centers (CRCs); and launched a national movement to recognize the immense contribution of family caregivers to the long-term health care of the ill and elderly in our country.