December 2007 Vol. 26. No. 12

Published by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka, California. HSRC is a non-profit community-based organization offering services for senior citizens, multi-generational families and caregivers.

Senior Friends
HSRC launches community-based initiative to improve Alzheimer’s care
Alzheimer's: Food and the person with dementia
Around the Center: Holiday foods can conflict with medications
Foster Grandparents: Make a difference in the lives of children

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HSRC launches community-based initiative to improve Alzheimer’s care

The Humboldt Senior Resource Center has received a $222,630 grant from The California Endowment to form a Dementia Care Coalition to address unmet needs in dementia care and to create Humboldt County’s first coordinated system for dementia health services.

HSRC Executive Director Joyce Hayes said, “We are inviting all of the people and organizations who care for Alzheimer’s patients to come together to improve the quality of care and the quality of life for people with Alzheimer’s. This includes hospitals, nurses, the medical community, clinics, county health and human services, hospice, home health agencies, residential care and skilled nursing facilities, community healthcare advocates, the Area 1 Agency on Aging and family and in-home caregivers.”

HSRC will be working in partnership with the Community Health Alliance of Humboldt-Del Norte (CHA). “We are excited to be part of this important effort to create a more integrated system of care for people with Alzheimer’s,” said Allan Katz, CHA executive director. “Caregivers, both professionals and family members, who touch the lives of people with dementia, have a lot to learn from each other about Alzheimer’s care.”

“We want to help health care providers work together to deliver better care, and we want to help patients and consumers make more informed decisions,” said Maggie Kraft, director of the HSRC Alzheimer’s Center. “As we begin construction of our new Alzheimer’s Center, the time is right to focus attention on the special needs of our rural community.”

“We feel honored to have received this award from The California Endowment,” said Hayes. “We believe that it signals both a recognition of the needs of rural communities and also of the skill and knowledge we have. What we learn and produce together will help other communities improve their own systems of dementia care.”

Kraft added, “Our goal is an increase in the number of people in Humboldt County who are competent in dementia care. We will offer trainings for people who have contact with dementia patients, including family and professional caregivers, emergency room, hospital and medical office staff and long-term care facilities staff. We will also improve access to support, counseling and education for rural dementia caregivers by training in outlying areas. And most important, all of our community’s providers will have the best current information on the standard of care for dementia, and we will all be better informed about the resources available to patients and their families.”