Thanks to grants from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, two of New York City’s leading providers of caregiver support services have launched a new initiative to provide comprehensive services for caregivers of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Through the program, the organizations will help thousands of caregivers citywide.
Sunnyside Community Services and PSS each received $7.5 million over five years as part of Cuomo’s $67.5 million Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Initiative. The initiative, supported by a grant from the New York State Department of Health, seeks to alleviate the emotional and financial burdens that are unduly placed upon New Yorkers who care for loved ones living with Alzheimer’s disease.
There are an estimated 425,000 caregivers in New York City helping family members with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and more than 250,000 New Yorkers living with the disease. In the Bronx, there are approximately 74,000 caregivers and approximately 20,000 individuals living with the disease.
The five-year grant will enable Sunnyside Community Services to expand its CARE NYC program. CARE NYC has served caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in Queens since 2004. The grant is enabling them to expand the services offered citywide. In the Bronx, Sunnyside Community Services is providing services through its partner organizations, RAIN Regional Aid for Interim Needs, Inc. and Riverdale Senior Services. To find out more, please call 718-906-0669, email carenyc@scsny.org or visit scsny.org/programs/youth-and-family-programs/care-nyc.
PSS is partnering with community organizations in the Bronx to host Circle of Care Stations, where care consultants can meet with and assist family caregivers and offer support groups, training and other services. To find out more, please call their toll-free hotline, 866-665-1713, email careinfo@pssusa.org or visit http://pssusa.org/caregivers/caregiver-services/.
Caregiver services provided by the organizations will include providing unpaid assistance with tasks of daily living, respite services (in-home or adult day care), long-term care planning, help applying for Medicaid and other benefits, counseling services, peer support groups, education and caregiver skills training and online resources, wellness activities, transportation for medical appointments/shopping/recreation, help with household chores and repairs and more. The services are provided in English and Spanish.
“The SCS CARE NYC program empowers caregivers in all five boroughs to learn best practices, access benefits, connect to supportive services and live without the fear, isolation and hopelessness that can often occur in such situations,” said Sunnyside Community Services Executive Director Judith Zangwill. “As a caregiver myself, it’s gratifying to see the transformative power our programs have on a caregiver and their family.”
“If I didn’t have the help I have received at Sunnyside Community Services, I don’t know how I would have been able to cope with my husband’s Alzheimer’s, said Inez Ruiz. “I was scared and alone and didn’t know what to do, or even where to start. Connecting with the services here, and learning so much about how to better understand what my husband is going through, and getting help for myself, has been a lifesaver. I know now that I am not alone. I don’t know what I would do without this place.”
“One of the greatest challenges is that many caregivers don’t even realize that information and support is available,” said PSS Executive Director Rimas Jasin. “With two out of three working family caregivers reporting chronic, long-term stress, this initiative will help us reach more people and offer them the support they need and deserve.”
“My mom was in the early stages of dementia and still living in her Bronx home when I first turned to PSS for help,” said Vera Galeas. “Circle of Care has provided me with an array of needed supportive services during the many caregiving challenges and transitions I faced. Now that my mom is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s and is in a nursing home facility, I visit her regularly and participate in the Circle of Care Lounge, an educational support group that has helped me manage emotionally.”
“Alzheimer’s disease affects thousands of New Yorkers each year and takes a devastating toll on both patients and the caregivers,” Cuomo said. “This investment will provide a wide range of support and respite services for caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s and similar diseases.” According to the Governor’s office, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and the number of cases in New York State is expected to increase from 380,000 to 460,000 by 2025. More than half of New York’s Alzheimer’s disease patients live at home, and 75 percent of those who do, live with a friend or family member who provides care.
PSS is a multiservice nonprofit serving youth, families and older adults. We believe seniors are an integral part of our community, and we will do all we can to keep them healthy, engaged and connected. PSS’s services encompass eight senior centers, two senior and intergenerational residences, a broad network of family and kinship caregiver services, the Young Adult Success Program connecting young adults being raised by their grandparents with mentors and programs to empower their success, and Coming of Age NYC, to help New Yorkers older than 50 live a life with passion and purpose. For more information please visit www.pssusa.org.
Sunnyside Community Services is a multiservice, community-based, nonprofit organization that provides programs for individuals of all ages in Queens, N.Y. and across the five boroughs. Established as a senior center in 1974, SCS began offering licensed home care services in 1979 and introduced youth services in 1983. SCS has worked to respond continuously to community needs and today provides a broad range of services to approximately 14,000 people each year, including children, youth, adults and seniors. For more information, please visit scsny.org.