Brookdale Foundation Group: Group Respite and Early Memory Loss Programs for Elders with Dementia and their Caregivers

The Brookdale Foundation Group will award seed grants to service providers that plan to offer new, dementia-specific Group Respite or specialized Early Memory Loss (EML) programming to participants, along with support to caregivers, in order to help individuals remain in their communities. The Foundation’s goal is to foster the development of high-quality, cost-effective programs to complement the existing services in the community for people with dementia, and to encourage and support its grantees to become self-sustaining.

The Group Respite Program and the specialized Early Memory Loss Program are both community-based, social model day programs that provide dementia-specific group activities for participants and respite for family caregivers and care-partners. Programs are open a minimum of one day a week for at least four hours per session, offering people with Alzheimer’s Disease or related dementias regularly scheduled opportunities for socialization and meaningful group activities in a supportive environment. At least one paid professional staff member and a core of trained volunteers, students, and program assistants provide staffing for sites. In addition, programs offer access to other services for participants and their families, such as individual counseling for caregivers, information and referral to other health and social services, and support group meetings for family members.

Amount: Up to 15 organizations will receive:

• Grant support of $10,000 in year one, renewable for $5,000 for the second tier, based on evaluation of first year’s activities and potential for future continuity of the program.
• Paid participation for one staff member at a training conference, to be held October 24-26, 2019 in Teaneck, NJ.
• Ongoing technical assistance and support from the staff in San Francisco, CA and from the Foundation in New Jersey, which includes newsletters, unlimited telephone support, and participation in the Brookdale Respite Network. Technical assistance continues to be available to all programs that become self-sufficient and continue to follow either the Group Respite or Early Memory Loss program model.

Awarded organizations must provide a match of 100% in hard dollars and/or substantive in-kind support.

Eligibility: Private non-profit 501(c)(3) or public agencies that seek to develop a new dementia-specific, social model program.

Link: http://www.brookdalefoundation.net/Respite/RespiteForms/2019rfpInfo.html

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