New Online Directory Connects Dementia Caregivers with Support Resources

Best Programs for Caregiving, a free online resource, gives family members and friends who care for someone living with dementia access to powerful programs that offer support, quality information and expert guidance.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Best Programs for Caregiving is a new online directory of support programs that provides reliable resources to family and friend caregivers of individuals living with dementia. This free, easy-to-use database contains detailed information about proven, top-rated dementia support programs available to caregivers in their own communities.

"Best Programs for Caregiving is designed for families and friends who care for someone living with dementia," said Kathleen Kelly, Executive Director of Family Caregiver Alliance. "It's the first-ever source of high-quality information about where these evidence-based programs are being offered across the country and how people can enroll in them."

Best Programs for Caregiving (BPC) enables dementia caregivers to compare locally available programs so they can identify and select the right programs for addressing their specific caregiving concerns or challenges. The directory includes programs that address the needs of diverse caregiving communities, meaning people living with dementia and their caregiver who identify with different races, ethnicities and sexual orientations. It also contains programs available in languages other than English, such as Spanish, Vietnamese, French and Cantonese.

Connecting caregivers with the right support
On the BPC home page, caregivers enter their zip code to find in-person, phone-based, and online programs that assist with a wide range of caregiving challenges such as:

• Coping with stress and strain and improving well-being.
• Managing symptoms of dementia to gain confidence in caregiving.
• Finding and coordinating needed services and other types of support.

Best Programs for Caregiving is an extension of the database launched in 2020 for professionals and service organizations (then called Best Practice Caregiving) to learn about top-rated, evidence-based dementia caregiving programs. With the launch of this new portal for caregivers, the nearly 50 research-tested programs in original database are now directly available to family and friend caregivers so they can find detailed program information, including program focus, eligibility, enrollment info, supported languages, diversity profiles and more. The original database for professionals remains accessible from the BPC homepage, next to the new directory for caregivers.

"Many studies now show that well-designed support programs for family and friend caregivers and persons living with dementia can increase the effectiveness of coping strategies, improve well-being, and help with finding needed healthcare and community services," said David M. Bass, PhD, Senior Vice President of Research at Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. "Best Programs for Caregiving enables people to find and access programs in their communities, so that more people can benefit from them. This includes families and friends who identify with diverse populations."

A growing cohort of dementia caregivers needs support
Approximately 16 million Americans care for someone with Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia. This number is growing each year and is expected to triple by 2050. Providing care for a person living with dementia can be especially challenging — in fact, dementia caregivers are twice as likely as other family caregivers to report that providing care has adverse effects on their physical and emotional health, finances and relationships.

Designed by caregivers and caregiving experts
Best Programs for Caregiving is a product of the collaboration between two leading organizations in the field of aging and caregiving:  Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging and Family Caregiver Alliance. The Diverse Elders Coalition and its six member organizations have joined the project team to expand awareness of programs for diverse communities.

Funders of Best Programs for Caregiving include The John A. Hartford Foundation (www.johnahartford.org), RRF Foundation for Aging (www.rrf.org) and Archstone Foundation (www.archstone.org). Sustainability partners include AARP (www.aarp.org) and Biogen Foundation (www.biogen.com/company/biogen-foundation.html). 

For more information, visit Best Programs for Caregiving at www.bpc.caregiver.org.   

About Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging
Founded in 1908, Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging (www.benrose.org) is a nationally recognized Cleveland-based nonprofit whose mission is to advance support for older adults and caregivers. This work is accomplished by deepening the understanding of their evolving needs in a changing society; promoting effective public policies; and developing and delivering innovative, high-quality solutions, including evidence-based programs that are tested and proven by research to achieve beneficial outcomes for consumers.

About Family Caregiver Alliance
The mission of Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) (www.caregiver.org) is to improve the quality of life for family caregivers and the people who receive their care. For more than 40 years, FCA has provided services to family caregivers of adults with physical and cognitive impairments, such as Parkinson's, stroke, Alzheimer's and other types of dementia. FCA's services include assessment, care planning, direct care skills, wellness programs, respite services, and legal/financial consultation vouchers. Ongoing support is available with FCA CareNav™. FCA is a longtime advocate for caregivers in the areas of policy, health and social system development, research, and public awareness, on the state, national and international levels.

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SOURCE Family Caregiver Alliance