The National Alliance for Caregiving and MetLife Foundation Honor Exemplary Programs that Support and Educate Family Caregivers

ST. LOUIS, July 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Representatives from leading aging organizations and agencies from around the nation convened in St. Louis, MO today to honor the 2010 winners of the National Family Caregiving Awards, sponsored by the National Alliance for Caregiving with support from MetLife Foundation. The programs were recognized for their innovation, effectiveness, and response to caregiver needs in their communities.

"We were thrilled to learn about so many innovative, diverse, and effective community programs around the country that support and educate family caregivers," said Gail Gibson Hunt, President & CEO, National Alliance for Caregiving. "The support these programs provide to caregivers is so critical, especially during these difficult economic times when the time and expense of caregiving are so challenging for many caregivers. These programs serve as models for other communities."

This year's award winners are:

• Alzheimer's Association, Central and Western Virginia Chapter in Charlottesville, VA, for its Connections: An Innovative Home Based Activity Program. The program provides caregivers with strategies needed to interact positively with an individual diagnosed with dementia and connect families to a full range of community services leading to increased caregiver confidence and support.
• Fox GERI: Geriatric Education & Research Institute of Cherry Hill, NJ, for Translation of ESP/Skills2Care, a collaborative project that involves an evidence-based program for caregivers of people with dementia that provides occupational therapy in a sustainable reimbursement environment.
• Interfaith Care Partners of Houston, TX, for its Care Team Program, a team of congregation-based volunteers who are trained and supervised to provide respite to caregivers and to forge relationships with cognitively or physically impaired persons in the family home or through activity programs at partner congregations.
• Multicultural Community Services of the Pioneer Valley of Springfield, MA, for its Parent Advocacy Group, a support group for single, older parents who provide friendship, support, hope and solutions to each other as they advocate for sons and daughters with intellectual challenges.
• New York University (NYU) Langone School of Medicine of New York, NY, for its NYU Caregiver Intervention program. This is an evidence-based intervention to improve the well-being of caregivers of those with Alzheimer's disease by mobilizing the support of naturally existing family networks, improving caregiving skills, and providing the opportunity for ongoing counseling and support.  
• Partners in Care, Inc. of Pasadena, MD, for Ride Partners and Repairs with Care, which empowers older adults to remain independent in their own homes through a time-exchange network. This network provides assistance to older adults and caregivers for neighborly tasks, such as transportation and household repairs.
• Senior Services of Albany of Albany, NY, for Telephone Support Groups, which enhance the effectiveness, accessibility, and reach of a mainstay of caregiver support—the support group—by delivering an evidence-based program to family caregivers who are connected by telephone conference call.  
• The Kennedy Center, Inc. of Trumbull, CT, for its Caring for the Caregiver program, which, unlike traditional caregiver programs, helps adult caregivers with cognitive disabilities who provide assistance to parents over the age of 60.  This program was also honored with the Cultural Diversity Recognition Award.
• Weill Cornell Medical College of New York, NY, for ThisCaringHome.org, a new, interactive, multi-media Web site that offers caregivers innovative ways to learn research-based strategies that reduce caregiver stress and enhance the safety and well-being of loved ones with Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia. This award winner was also honored with the Alzheimer's Recognition Award.

One program received an honorable mention award: Alzheimer's Day Services of Memphis, Inc.   of Memphis, TN for its Male Caregivers Cooking Program. This program teaches male caregivers ways to overcome the challenge of providing nutritious meals for a spouse or significant other with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders.  

The non-profit honorees were awarded $20,000 to continue and enhance their support for caregivers. To win the award, non-profit organizations from around the country competed in the categories of caregiver support and education, either as a small community (with a population of 100,000 or fewer) or a large community (100,001 or more. Applicants were asked to demonstrate how they are innovative, effective and replicable based on research and their response to diverse populations. Applicants were then judged by a panel of experts on caregiving who selected the nine award-winning programs.  Two awards were given to organizations meeting the needs of caregivers of adult children with disabilities.  

"We are pleased to recognize these programs for the important contributions they're making to family caregiving," said Dennis White, President and CEO of MetLife Foundation. "These organizations provide innovative examples that other nonprofits can draw upon to support the efforts of family caregivers."

Family caregiving has a value to society estimated at $375 billion per year—more than the value of home care and nursing care combined. At least 65 million adults provide critical care that helps friends and loved ones with debilitating illnesses remain in their homes and other community settings. An estimated 80% of all care received by older Americans is provided by family members – spouses, children, grandchildren and other relatives. Nearly 60% of caregivers are employed and nearly 40% of caregivers have children under the age of 18. Managing the competing priorities of work and family, in addition to caregiving, is stressful and costly and can exact a heavy toll, resulting in burn-out and health problems. Experts anticipate that family caregiving will grow in the decades ahead.

MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife to carry on its long-standing tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. The Foundation has been involved in a variety of aging-related initiatives addressing issues of caregiving, intergenerational activities, mental fitness, health and wellness programs and civic involvement. More information about the Foundation is available at www.metlife.org.

Established in 1996, The National Alliance for Caregiving is a non-profit coalition of national organizations focusing on issues of family caregiving. Alliance members include grassroots organizations, professional associations, service organizations, disease-specific organizations, a government agency, and corporations. The Alliance was created to conduct research, do policy analysis, develop national programs and increase public awareness of family caregiving issues. Recognizing that family caregivers provide important societal and financial contributions toward maintaining the well-being of those they care for, the Alliance's mission is to be the objective national resource on family caregiving with the goal of improving the quality of life for families and care recipients. To learn more about the National Alliance for Caregiving, visit www.caregiving.org.

For more information on the competition and detailed profiles of the award winners, visit the website of the National Alliance for Caregiving, www.caregiving.org.

SOURCE MetLife Foundation