Respite care grant for Ava Dorfman Senior Community Center

ROME » Ava Dorfman Senior Community Center has received a $5,000 respite care grant from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA).

Grant recipients utilize these funds to provide respite scholarships to families living with Alzheimer’s disease. Respite programs — such as adult day programs — offer caregivers a time-out from their caregiving duties, while providing stimulation for individuals with Alzheimer’s.

“AFA is proud to award respite care grants in an effort to help family caregivers maintain their own sense of mental and physical health. Nobody is superman. It is important to realize that you can’t do it all,” said Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr., president and chief executive officer of AFA.

“These grants will afford family caregivers an opportunity to send a loved one with dementia to an adult day program, or hire an in-home aid, and lightens their caregiving load, allowing them the critical time necessary to recharge. Respite care ultimately helps people remain in their homes longer and delays the need for a longterm care facility. I congratulate all the grant recipients and encourage them to keep up the great work,” added Fuschillo.

The grant is named for the deceased parents of Barry Berg, the AFA board’s treasurer. Both of Berg’s parents passed away in 2009. His mother, Phyllis, had Alzheimer’s disease, and his father, Milton, was her caregiver.

The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, based in New York, is a nonprofit organization that unites more than 2,600 member organizations nationwide with the goal of ensuring optimal care and providing the necessary support services, as well as guidance on resources to those living with dementia, and to their families. For more information about AFA, call (866) 232-8484 or visit www.alzfdn.org.