National Conference Draws Participants from Around the Nation

Nearly 200 providers interested in supporting caregivers descended on Americus, Georgia in late October to attend the RCI’s National Conference. The conference was entitled Raising the Bar: Implementing Evidence-Based Programs for Caregivers.

The event began with a welcome reception on Wednesday, October 22 at the elegant Lee Council House, a historic home in Americus. Guests enjoyed Southern cooking and received personal greeting from Mrs. Rosalynn Carter and members of the RCI National Board of Directors. The conference kicked off on Thursday, October 23 with welcome addresses from Rosalynn Carter and Lillienne Yeung, Director of Corporate Contributions at Johnson & Johnson. J&J generously sponsored this national conference.

RCI Presents Session at Aging in America Conference

Caregiving will be in the spotlight during a session of the 2009 ASA-NCOA Aging in America Conference. The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving will host a day long session entitled Evidence-Based Programs for Caregivers: Yes You Can!, on March 19, 2009.

VA and Minnesota Projects Win Rosalynn Carter Leadership In Caregiving Awards

Named in honor of a great humanitarian, the Rosalynn Carter Leadership in Caregiving Award is the highest award given in the caregiving field. This award recognizes innovative partnerships between community agencies and caregiving researchers that bridge the gap between science and practice.

In 2008, a record number of award nominations came in from all over the world. After reviewing all applications and narrowing the list to two finalists, the RCI selection committee chose to present awards this year to BOTH finalists. Both winners are innovative projects that utilize broad-based partnerships to move effective caregiver support programs to widespread use in the community.

STATE NEWS

Savvy Caregiver Webinar Trains 140 to Work with Caregivers

Participants from Georgia and several other states took advantage of the Savvy Caregiver Training offered via the web and telephone by the Rosalynn Carter Institute. Savvy Caregiver is an Evidence-Based Intervention for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care. Program Developer, Dr. Ken Hepburn of Emory University conducted the training.

The training sessions were held November 5 & 12. This training was free for Georgia residents, thanks to funding from the Healthcare Georgia Foundation. Those participants outside the state of Georgia paid a small telephone toll charge to cover the costs of the phone lines. The training was co-sponsored by Emory Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, the Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia chapter, and Georgia’s CARE-NETs.

In Georgia, more than 1.3 million family caregivers provide billions of dollars of care to family members. With the help of these family caregivers, as well as dedicated volunteer and paraprofessional caregivers, many aging, ill and disabled Georgians are able to live with dignity in the community.

The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving (RCI) salutes these caregivers, and each year recognizes three extraordinary people as Caregivers of the Year for the state of Georgia.

Caregivers in three categories were nominated by friends, family and colleagues across the state, and regional winners were selected by each of Georgia’s CARE-NETs. These regional winners were submitted to the Rosalynn Carter Institute to be considered for the state Caregiver of the Year Award.

LOCAL NEWS

RCI and Partners Receive AoA Grant to Implement REACH in Georgia

Family caregivers in Georgia’s Sumter County and seven surrounding counties will have access to a program that has proven to help families cope with the well-known and predictable challenges of providing care to a person living with Alzheimer’s disease. The Georgia REACH (Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health) Project will provide education and support to family caregivers in their own home and by telephone.

The RCI and collaborating partners are the recipients of a $730,000, three-year Administration on Aging grant, which will fund the Georgia REACH Project. With in-kind and matching funds from the partners, the total program budget is $1,151,389 for the project period from October 2008 through October 2011.