HHS has announced $6.78 million to develop innovative approaches to provide care for people with Alzheimer’s disease

HHS has announced $6.78 million to develop innovative approaches to provide care for people with Alzheimer’s disease and support for their family caregivers.

The Alzheimer’s Disease Demonstration Grants to States (ADDGS) Program works to improve the responsiveness of home and community-based services to persons with dementia and their caregivers.

“The pain of losing a loved one to Alzheimer’s disease is too often compounded by not being able to care of them,” Secretary Thompson said. “This funding will give thousands of families the opportunity to provide the support, compassion, and love that only a family member could.”

The awards will support one-year capacity building demonstration programs in two new states: South Dakota and Wyoming. The awards will further support three-year systems change demonstration programs in 22 states/territories: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The program is administered by HHS’ Administration on Aging (AoA). It focuses on serving hard-to-reach and underserved people with Alzheimer’s disease or related disorders.

With this fiscal year’s grant awards, the AoA significantly strengthened the ADDGS program by incorporating the following new design elements:

1. A greater focus on using the ADDGS program as a vehicle for advancing changes to a state’s overall system of home and community based care, including requirements that three-year project activities be linked to other state system change efforts, including state programs to streamline consumer access to services and family caregiver support programs.
2. A requirement that all applicants, in the formulation of their project proposals, review and use findings from research on service models and techniques for supporting persons with Alzheimer’s disease and their family caregivers, including findings from research supported by the National Institute on Aging.

New ADDGS grants were awarded to:

• Alabama Department of Senior Services -- $311,150
• Arizona Department of Economic Security, Division of Aging and Community Services, Aging and Adult Administration -- $276,059
• Arkansas Department of Human Services, Aging and Adult Services -- $281,150
• State of California Department of Aging, Director’s Office -- $311,150
• Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities -- $161,150
• District of Columbia Office on Aging -- $263,768
• Florida Department of Elder Affairs -- $311,150
• Indiana Bureau of Aging and In-Home Services -- $311,150
• Iowa Department of Elder Affairs -- $311,150
• Louisiana Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs -- $311,150
• Maine Dept of Human Services, Bureau of Elder and Adult Services - $297,121
• Minnesota Board on Aging -- $311,150
• Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Division of Senior Services and Regulation -- $230,523
• Nevada Department of Human Resources, Division of Aging Services -- $311,150
• New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department -- $311,150
• North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Aging and Adult Services -- $311,150
• North Dakota Department of Human Services, Aging Services Division -- $261,150
• Rhode Island Department of Elderly Affairs -- $294,050
• South Dakota Department of Social Services, Office of Adult Services and Aging, (one-year project) -- $225,000
• Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability -- $311,150
• Vermont Department of Aging and Independent Living, Division of Advocacy and Independence -- $311,150
• Virginia Department for the Aging -- $311,150
• Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, Division of Disability and Elder Services -- $311,150
• Wyoming Department of Health, Aging Division, (one-year project) -- $150,000

Additional information about the new ADDGS grants, continuing grants, and other information about Alzheimer’s disease and tips for families affected by it are available at http://www.aoa.gov/alz.