New Program for Alzheimer’s Caregivers Coming to Sumter County

Family Caregivers in Sumter County and eight surrounding counties will have access to a program that has proven to help families cope with the well-known and predictable challenges of providing care to a person living with Alzheimer’s disease.

The REACH Program (Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health) will provide education and support to family caregivers in their own home and by telephone. Each family caregiver will have a trained staff person assigned to them who provides education about the illness and the latest research, and who teaches ways to manage difficult behavior such as wandering, repetitive questioning, aggression and other disturbing behavior. In addition, the staff member will help the caregiver protect their own health and cope more effectively with stress. 

In a national evaluation of the program published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2006, family members in the program had significantly higher quality of life, better health and less depression. They also were more confident about providing care and had a better relationship with the patient.

The program is being brought to our region as a result of a collaboration between the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving (RCI) at Georgia Southwestern State University and a number of key partners including Middle Flint Council on Aging, Lower Chattahoochee Area Agency on Aging, The Georgia Alzheimer’s Association and three local affiliates serving the target area, the Mattie Marshall Alzheimer’s Center at Magnolia Manor and the Georgia Department of Aging Services.

According to Dr. Rick Birkel, Executive Director of the RCI,  “In a telephone survey we conducted in Sumter County last Spring, many Alzheimer’s caregivers said they were experiencing ‘burnout’. When we asked what kind of help they needed, the majority said that an on-call expert and someone who could come to their home to provide education and training would be great. This program does exactly that”.

RCI and its partners were awarded one of ten grants in national competition through the Federal Administration on Aging.  The grant of $730,000 will support services to 150 Alzheimer’s caregivers in Americus, Sumter County and seven surrounding rural counties in southwest Georgia. With in-kind and matching funds from the partners, the total program budget is $1,151,389 for the project period from October 2008 through October 2011. “This project pulls together the skills and resources of all the partners and puts them at the disposal of family members who provide care,” said Birkel.

Gayle Alston, RCI’s Director of Community Initiatives, will manage the project, “Our aim is to provide a one-stop shop and build a circle of support around the family caregiver that helps them in a respectful way and recognizes that they are doing this work. We are just helping,” she said.