ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A grant given by the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation Vital Seniors Initiative will provide area Washtenaw County caregivers a bit of time to care for themselves.
The $50,000 grant was awarded to the Area Agency on Aging 1-B and allows it to further help individuals who are taking care of friends, family and community members with dementia.
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The agency provides home-based and community-based services to around 760,000 individuals aged 60 and older and their caregivers throughout Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Washtenaw counties.
“Caregivers of people with dementia often experience depression and burnout. Respite care is designed to give them time to care for themselves, whether for medical reasons, to travel, or to just take a break,” the Area Agency on Aging 1-B said in a release.
Through the grant, individuals with dementia living in Washtenaw County, or who have caregivers from the county, will be able to have up to two weeks of out-of-home respite care at Memory Lane. The 6-bed licensed home in Ypsilanti serves individuals with dementia or who have a mild cognitive impairment diagnosis.
While families of those with dementia will work with Memory Lane to establish admission, the Area Agency on Aging 1-B will pay for the care and service.
To qualify for vouchers for respite care, participants must be aged 60 or older and not participate in other in-home care programs run by Area Agency on Aging 1-B, including its MI Choice and the Community Living Program.
Individuals on waitlists for those programs may apply for the grant funding.
Those interested in applying can call the agency during the week at 800-852-7795 to speak with a resource specialist for the referral and to discuss a participant’s care needs.
Read: New program aims to connect Washtenaw County caregivers to individualized support