Alzheimer’s Association Caregiver Respite Assistance Fund receives grant
Thanks to a $2,000 grant from the Katharine L.W. Winthrop Murray Crane, III Charitable Foundation, the Caregiver Respite Assistance Fund has money available for new scholarships.
In 1999, the Massachusetts Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association established a Caregiver Respite Assistance Fund and since then the fund has awarded $500 grants to 90 families living in the four counties of Western Massachusetts. The fund is replenished by restricted donations from area businesses, families of loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease, local healthcare organizations and foundations.
Few Berkshire County families have utilized the fund so the Alzheimer’s Association is encouraging area families who need a respite break from their caregiving responsibilities to apply.
“We know how physically and financially demanding living with and caring for someone with Alzheimer’s can be,” said Ginny Sinkoski, who oversees the fund, “so we make grants based on merits of each individual application, not financial need. Care partners tend to put their loved ones’ needs ahead of their own. These scholarships help care partners to take time for themselves.”
Applicants need only to have a medical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder, and be living at home. Past recipients have used grants to augment in-home care, try out an adult day program, or to finance a short-term facility stay so the primary caregiver could attend a family reunion. Scholarships may not be used for permanent nursing home placement.
For information and application forms, contact Ginny Sinkoski in the Alzheimer’s Association Springfield office, 413-787-1113 or virginia.sinkoski@alz.org.
Editor's Note: For information about Elder Services Caregiver Support Fund, contact Elder Services at 1-800-544-5242 or 499-0524.
