New community-based programming pilot will bring dementia respite care closer to home for rural areas

For families caring for someone living with dementia, getting a few hours away to run errands, go to an appointment or simply rest can make a significant difference. But in rural communities, finding dementia-specific respite care nearby can be especially difficult.

This fall, Southern Maine Agency on Aging will test a new, efficient model to bring that support closer to home.

The organization has received nearly $100,000 from the Alzheimer’s Association Center for Dementia Respite Innovation to launch Dementia Respite Without Walls, a pilot program that will bring trained staff, individualized care planning and therapeutic activities into rural York and Cumberland county communities.

Rather than requiring rural families to make long drives to one of SMAA’s established Adult Day Programs in Biddeford, Portland or Springvale, Dementia Respite Without Walls is designed to take place in nearby, familiar locations. Sessions can be held in gathering places such as churches, grange halls and community centers.

The first 12-week session begins Sept. 22 at the Casco Community Center. Once a week, for four hours, people living with dementia will get to take part in programming with trained staff, while their caregivers get time for themselves or the option to partake in on-site peer support or resource guidance.

Nicole Garrity, SMAA’s Program Manager for its three Adult Day Programs, will oversee the pilot. She said the Casco Community Center, which is donating space for the first session, illustrates the kind of local partnership the program will need to succeed.

“This is a very active space in the heart of the community,” Garrity said.

During each session, trained staff will use portable engagement kits to provide activities adapted to participants’ interests and abilities, creating a safe and supportive environment for people living with memory loss. For caregivers, meanwhile, those four hours can be used however they need them, including connecting with on-site resource specialists who can provide referrals for services that may help families at home, or with peers through a support group.

“One of SMAA’s goals is to prevent the crisis for both the caregiver and the loved one,” said Chief Operating Officer Renee Longarini. “From Meals on Wheels to our Medicare trainings, we have many touch points to remind Mainers at all stages of life that we are here now and we can help plan before a situation becomes critical.”

Through these two initial sessions, SMAA ultimately hopes to develop a model that other rural communities can sustain with local partnerships and trained volunteers. That type of collaborative creativity will be vital as Maine and the rest of the country contend with an aging population and growing demand for caregiving support.

“People still talk about this care crisis tsunami like it is coming, but from our perspective, the wave is crashing,” she said. “We have to think differently about how we use our resources.”

Through the grant, SMAA will also receive online training and ongoing technical assistance from the Center for Dementia Respite Innovation to help ensure its respite services are dementia-capable and to develop a sustainable program. The center will collect data and evaluate projects from grant recipients to help inform future programs and public policy.

For SMAA, the success of the Casco pilot program would mean more than establishing another place where families can receive help. The goal is to learn whether communities can build some of that support themselves — making respite care easier to reach before families find themselves in crisis.

Looking for support?

The first session of Dementia Respite Without Walls begins Sept. 22 at the Casco Community Center. Spots are still available. Interested caregivers can contact Nicole Garrity directly for an initial screening. Email [email protected] or call 207-396-6508.

Aging in Maine: Caregiving

Sunday, Oct. 18: Read “Aging in Maine: Caregiving,” a special publication from the newsrooms of the Maine Trust for Local News, focused on the needs of current and soon-to-be caregivers.

Friday, Oct. 23: Attend the Maine Family Caregiver Summit. A morning session focuses on employers supporting caregivers on their team, and the afternoon session offers caregivers practical tips and direct connections to resources and experts.

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