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Contact:
Katie Everist
Communications
651-431-5605
Kathryn.Everist@state.mn.us
A
new Minnesota Board on Aging grant program will help community organizations raise
awareness about Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia and serve caregivers of
people who have the diseases.
The
2015 Legislature appropriated $1.5 million, which will be used now through June
30, 2017, to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease, increase the rate of
cognitive testing in the population at risk for dementias, promote the benefits
of early diagnosis and connect caregivers to education and resources.
“Alzheimer’s
alone impacts some 89,000 Minnesotans over age 65 and the number is growing,”
said Jean Wood, executive director of the Minnesota Board on Aging. “These
grants promote a more supportive environment for people with dementia,
including resources for their caregivers.”
All
of the 20 projects funded have awareness-raising efforts, including using theater
to educate Latino communities about dementia and a social media platform to do outreach to the Korean community.
Other grantees will promote the benefits of early diagnosis of dementia and
offer early identification memory screenings within senior public housing
facilities; engage with businesses to identify working caregivers; and promote
safe exercise programs for people with Alzheimer’s.
Grantees
are diverse in being equal parts urban and rural, with some specifically
responsive to the cultural norms and values of African-American, American
Indian, Korean, Lao, Latino and Somali cultures. Grantees include educational
institutions, public health boards, long-term care providers and community
organizations.
Grantees
and their awards are:
-
A.C.E. of Southwest Minnesota, Slayton, $93,000 for a
five-county
project including dementia education for consumers and health care
providers, early identification screening and caregiver services and
resources, while being responsive to American Indian and Hispanic individuals.
-
Age Well Arrowhead Inc., Duluth, $49,999 for dementia
education to local employers and their employees and support and resources
for working caregivers.
-
Centro Tyrone Guzman, Minneapolis, $88,500 for
Spanish-based dementia education, including theater for caregivers, and
other support and resources.
- Chippewa County Montevideo
Hospital, Montevideo, $17,374 to increase access
to a memory clinic for Hispanic individuals; provide dementia education, including
Virtual Dementia Tours; and connect caregivers to services and resources.
-
Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio, St. Paul,
$49,999 for outreach and dementia education and to connect Latino
caregivers to services and resources.
- East
Side Neighborhood Services, Inc., Minneapolis, $49,953 to offer dementia
education to the organization's employees and volunteers who provide
services to seniors at home and to provide education, support and
resources to other caregivers.
- Helping Hands Outreach, Holdingford, $49,713
to offer dementia education, early identification screening, cognitive testing with
health care providers and to connect caregivers to services and resources.
-
Isanti County Public Health, Cambridge, $138,944 for 10
organizations to offer dementia education, early identification screening,
add a dementia electronic medical records process, connect caregivers to
services and resources and promote tracking technology for the search and
rescue of individuals with cognitive disorders.
-
Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Minneapolis,
Minnetonka, $135,000 to offer dementia education and early
identification memory screening and to connect caregivers to services and
resources while being responsive to Jewish, Russian-speaking and Somali individuals.
-
Jones-Harrison Residence, Minneapolis, $49,504 to offer
dementia
education for LGBT individuals and create appropriate key messages for the
LGBT community.
-
Koochiching Aging Options, International Falls, $40,646
to offer dementia
education, partner with health care providers to establish referral protocols
and connect caregivers to services and resources.
-
Korean Service Center, Lauderdale, $91,543, for outreach
to the Korean community using social media, provide dementia education and
connect caregivers to services and resources responsive to Korean individuals.
-
Lao Advancement Organization of America, Minneapolis,
$49,994, to offer dementia education using technology, outreach
to businesses and to connect caregivers to services and resources
responsive to Lao individuals.
-
Mid-Minnesota Development Commission, Willmar, $49,999
to offer
dementia education to residents and businesses, establish a Memory Cafe
and to connect caregivers to services and resources while being responsive
to Hispanic and Somali individuals.
-
Morrison-Todd-Wadena Community Health Board, Little
Falls, $49,825 for three county public health agencies to offer
dementia education to the public and professionals using numerous media
outlets and to assess communities’ readiness to become dementia friendly.
-
Northwoods Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers Program,
Bemidji, $149,508 for dementia education, early
identification screening, cognitive testing with healthcare providers and to
connect caregivers to services and resources responsive to American Indian
and LGBT individuals.
-
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, $92,313 to support
caregivers and improve dementia care while being responsive to Hispanic individuals.
- University of Minnesota, Minneapolis,
$73,500 to train exercise coaches for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.
-
Three Rivers Community Action, Inc., Zumbrota, $49,989
to offer
dementia education and early identification screening, create a dementia
resource toolkit and connect caregivers to services and resources while being
responsive to Hispanic and Somali individuals.
-
Volunteers of America of Minnesota, Minneapolis,
$130,697 to offer dementia education, offer early
identification screening in Minneapolis public housing senior high rises,
create a dementia resource toolkit and connect caregivers to services and
resources while being responsive to African-American and Somali individuals.
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