ALZHEIMERS DISEASE AND RELATED DISORDERS NEW YORK CITY INC

Calls are answered by staff who offer information, referrals to community and our organization resources, and support to family members, professional caregivers, and people with dementia. Translation services are available in 200 languages. The Helpline responds to over 500 calls per month. Call us at (646) 744-2900, use our online form or email us at [email protected].

Social Work Services is an in-depth, personalized service for individuals and families who are facing many decisions and challenges associated with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. The goal is for each family to develop a better understanding of the disease, make a plan to secure needed care, and develop strategies for the best possible symptom management and communication. Consultations are provided in person, by phone, and via e-mail by licensed social workers and other professionals.

CaringKind, The Heart of Alzheimer's Caregiving and MedicAlert Foundation have formed an alliance to improve the safety of individuals with Alzheimer’s or related dementias. The program is a 24-hour nationwide emergency response service that provides assistance in finding people who wander, locally or far from home, or have a medical emergency. Financial assistance for enrollment is available for residents of the five boroughs of New York City. We partner with NYPD and work with a detective who is assigned to help us investigate when someone is missing. We have an extensive media and local emergency alert notification system that is triggered when someone with dementia goes missing or is found. We provide support to the family during the incident, and provide follow up guidance and referral to local resources when the individual is found and returned home.

CaringKind, The Heart of Alzheimer’s Caregiving offers support groups at locations throughout all five boroughs of NYC at no charge. Before joining a group we recommend that the potential participant attend an Understanding Dementia Meeting at our Mid-town headquarters, located at 360 Lexington Ave, 4th fl, New York, NY 10017.
Over 90 support groups for caregivers provide a consistent and caring place for group members to discuss the challenges of caregiving, share their feelings, and find emotional support. Group members also exchange information and educate themselves about dementia.

Diversity and outreach efforts are designed to extend our programs and services, including education, information, training, referrals, support, advocacy and volunteerism to ethnically diverse populations. CaringKind, The Heart of Alzheimer’s Caregiving has created linguistically appropriate informational materials, including a Spanish language and Chinese language newsletter, and offers educational sessions to community members and professionals in Spanish and Chinese. The African-American, Chinese and Latino Outreach programs seek to meet the specific needs of these communities by increasing awareness of, and participation in, our programs and services. We also work with the Orthodox Jewish population and the LGBT populations.

Education Informative meetings and educational seminars address important topics relating to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Subjects include diagnosis, home care concerns, patient management, research updates, caregiver health and well-being, legal and financial planning, Medicaid Home Care, nursing home placement, late-stage care issues and more. All meetings and workshops are free of charge.

Dementia Care Training for Professionals - An innovative program specially designed to equip home and personal care workers with the knowledge and skills needed to provide their clients with the highest quality of dementia care.

Support Group Leaders Training - An intensive four-day workshop designed for professionals and former caregivers who wish to lead family and early-stage support groups.

Family Caregiver Workshops - These ten-hour Workshops, focus on a person-centered care approach for family caregivers, and is conducted in a supportive and nonjudgmental environment.

The Nursing Home and Residential Care Program works to minimize the trauma of placement for patients, ease the transition for families, and train/support the staff. The program aims to improve treatment of residents through changing the culture of care in nursing homes and other residential facilities. The Palliative Care Program has been the focus of our work in this area for the past two years. We publish two newsletters quarterly: Advancing Care for staff who work in residential care, and Care Advocate which provides information about good dementia care for families of persons in residential care.