Alzheimer's Association Receives AoA Grant to Operate Alzheimer's National Call Center 12/9/2003
From: Lorraine Willmot of the Alzheimer's Association, 312-335-4078 or media@alz.org CHICAGO, Dec. 9 -- The Administration on Aging (AoA), part of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has awarded the Alzheimer's Association $993,500 to establish and operate a National Call Center for 24-hour access to information about Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, counseling and support for individuals living with Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer's Association will use the grant to expand its current 24-hour nationwide Contact Center and to collaborate with the AoA Eldercare Locator program (a nationwide service connecting older Americans and their caregivers with information on senior services) and other programs for a coordinated national network of community-based organizations. "The National Call Center is all about connecting people with Alzheimer's, families and caregivers with professionals who understand the disease and its impact and who can provide information about Alzheimer's disease, treatments, and care strategies, and links to community programs and resources," said Sheldon Goldberg, president and CEO of the Chicago-based Alzheimer's Association. "Callers also can receive confidential care consultation with master's level clinicians providing decision-making support, crisis assistance and education on issues people with dementia and their families face every day." "The National Call Center will serve as an information, counseling and assistance program coordinated through a national network of community-based organizations that have the capacity to serve persons affected by Alzheimer's disease," Josefina G. Carbonell, Assistant Secretary for Aging, said, "Working closely with AoA, the Alzheimer's Association will implement and operate the call center, accessible 24/7 and capable of providing professional care consultation and crisis intervention around the clock. HHS and AoA are committed to coordinating access to care and enhancing consumer services to better serve aging and older Americans, as the demand for community-based services for older persons will rise significantly in the coming decades." According to the Alzheimer's Association, 4.5 million Americans are estimated to have Alzheimer's disease, with nearly 20 million Americans having a family member with the disease, and 37 million Americans saying they know someone with Alzheimer's disease. In less than 10 years, the first of the nation's 76 million baby boomers will start turning 65 and will enter the age of greatest risk for developing Alzheimer's. Citing data from 2002, Goldberg said that family members of people with Alzheimer's -- daughters, wives, and grandchildren -- represented the majority of the 11,000 -- 15,360 calls per month to the Association's Contact Center. "Most callers were 41 to 60 and were calling for a family member between 61 and 80 or for themselves," Goldberg said. "They wanted general Alzheimer information, support and resources to cope with complex issues of challenging behaviors, personal care and safety issues, caregiver stress, and long-distance care giving. Eight out of 10 callers were Caucasian with the number of African Americans contacting the association equaling Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans combined. Most were calling from urban and suburban areas, with increasing numbers of calls made between 5 p.m. to 8 a.m." "More and more people are seeking information about Alzheimer's disease to arm themselves for the emotional, physical, and financial impacts of this disease that knows no age, geographic, or ethnic bounds," Goldberg said. "To meet those needs and be available whenever and wherever people living with Alzheimer's need help, our Contact Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and offers translation and interpretation service in as many as 140 languages and dialects. Collaborating with AoA joins two national networks for strong coast-to-coast and around-the-clock service for the millions of families already living with Alzheimer's and for the millions of families about to face the tremendous impacts of Alzheimer's in the coming years." The national call center grant is part of the AoA's multi-year commitment to improving consumer services dedicated to helping older Americans and their caregivers. In August, HHS awarded $12.5 million in grants through AoA to expand the Alzheimer's Disease Demonstration Grant program, with new grants in seven states and continued funding in 32 states. Through a partnership, AoA and the Alzheimer's Association have been developing innovative model programs in states and communities to extend Alzheimer programs and family support services to underserved minority populations and rural communities. The grant program also is designed to improve responsiveness of the home and community-based care system to people with dementia including underserved minority, rural and low-income communities. As part of its new grant, Alzheimer's Association staff will work with AoA to expand collaborations with grantee organizations for the Alzheimer's National Call Center. ------ The Alzheimer's Association is the world leader in Alzheimer research and support. Having awarded more than $150 million to nearly 1,300 projects, the Alzheimer's Association is the largest private funder of AD research in the world. The association's vision is a world without Alzheimer's disease. For more information, visit http://www.alz.org or call 800-272-3900. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging (AoA), works with a nationwide network of organizations and service providers to make support services and resources available to older persons and their caregivers. Information about the AoA and programs and services it administers for older adults and their families is available at http://www.aoa.gov. | |