UA Aging Center’s Research Plays Key Role in States Receiving Funds to Help Caregivers

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama Center for Mental Health and Aging’s research on Alzheimer’s disease and caregiving played a major role in 22 states, most recently Alabama, receiving federal grants of nearly $1 million for three years to benefit programs for Alzheimer’s caregivers.

“We are very excited that our partnership with the Alabama Office of Senior Services has yielded this tremendous opportunity to apply our research model in the ‘real world,’” said Dr. Louis Burgio, director of the Center for Mental Health and Aging and UA distinguished research professor.

For the past nine years, UA has been one of six national REACH intervention sites. REACH, which stands for Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health, is a cooperative agreement funded to investigate interventions to alleviate caregiver stress and burden. The focus is on developing interventions that are equally effective for African-American, Caucasian, and Hispanic caregivers.

“I believe our success in this difficult application process is due to the support of Governor Riley, the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and The University of Alabama,” said Senior Services director Irene Collins.

Burgio said he and the center will provide program support and skills training for family, caregivers, staff and providers.

“It can take 15-20 years before a treatment becomes available to the general public. Our follow-up research project (REACH II) has just been completed, but the needs of Alzheimer’s caregivers is so great that the federal government decided to fund the states to develop programs based on the findings of REACH I,” said Burgio, a faculty member in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Statewide, the ADDGS program will administer these additional Alzheimer’s and dementia services in 25 of Alabama’s 67 counties.

The programs, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration on Aging, focuses on serving hard-to-reach and underserved people with Alzheimer’s disease or related disorders. The program covers services like personal care, home health care, adult daycare, companion services, sitter services and other short-term care in a health facility.