How Lifespan's Partners in Caring program is changing the perception of older adults with dementia

The Castle Center provides adults with dementia in need of assistance care during the day. Open five days a week, the center offers participants meals, medication monitoring, personal care assistance with the help of nurses and volunteers, socialization and activities like arts and crafts. The Center also offers time off for caregivers — like family members — who often care for people with dementia 24/7.

PACE — Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly — provides free, necessary care to seniors, as well as resources like medicines and other accommodations. PACE also provides a health clinic, urgent care center, home services and offers respite to caregivers in need of a break. Nationwide, there are 273 PACE programs in 32 states. Michigan alone has seven, with two more to be added within the next year or so.

Caregivers who step up to the plate to care for friends or family members are often overworked and underpaid. To remedy this, several organizations and measures at both the local and national levels are emerging to provide support. For example, the RAISE Family Caregivers Act became law in 2018 and is designed to create a nationwide strategy on how government officials can better support caregivers. On a local level, nonprofits like Team Suzy provide financial support and resources to those suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s who can’t afford necessary supplies.

More than five million Americans have Alzheimer’s or similar illnesses, and that number is growing as the population ages - without any immediate prospect of a cure, advocacy groups have begun promoting ways to offer people with dementia a comfortable decline instead of imposing on them a medical model of care, which seeks to defer death through escalating interventions. An Arizona nursing home offers new ways to care for people with dementia.

The Musical Memories Cafe is a social gathering space for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well as their caregivers. Participants gather to enjoy music, seek refuge outside of their homes and get access to peer support and health resources. There are more than 1,000 memory cafes operating around the world, both in-person and virtually.

Trualta is an online resource that provides free training, tips and other resources for caregivers of loved ones with dementia. The platform is available in 32 states and has been used by more than 12,000 caregivers since it was rolled out in May 2022. Studies have found caregivers who use the app feel more confident in providing care and overall less burnt out.

The Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging hires state-tested nursing assistants (STNA) to act as community care specialists and provide in-home care to seniors. This care provides respite for unpaid family caregivers and allows seniors to continue living independently in their homes. In 2023 alone, the program served 130 residents, providing 2,371 hours of in-home care.

Latin Americans for Social and Economic Development (LA SED) provides culturally relevant programming and services for the area’s predominantly Latino senior community. The Center offers a safe space for seniors to converse in their native language, take English classes, connect with the community, exercise classes, and receive necessary care like vaccinations, food distribution and other social programming and wellness-focused care.

The James L. West Center for Dementia Care’s Senior Day Program offers engaging activities like dance, music therapy and cooking classes, and a sense of community for people with dementia, while giving family caregivers a break. The Center currently cares for about 13 people each day, though it has the capacity for up to 20 people and is slated to expand to help more people.

To prevent burnout and increase employee retention, Ascension Hospitals offers its employees resources like online and in-person therapy, crisis hotlines, incentive pay for holidays and extra hours, mental health check-ins and even tuition reimbursement. These measures help employees feel appreciated and when employees feel taken care of they’re less likely to quit their jobs or leave the caregiving profession altogether.