Weinberg Foundation Awards $8.2 Million for Family and Informal Caregivers
Weinberg Foundation Awards $8.2 Million for Family and Informal Caregivers
The Baltimore-based Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation has announced fourteen grants totaling nearly $8.2 million to organizations providing support for family and friends who deliver the majority of care to low- and moderate-income older adults.
As part of the foundation's Family and Informal Caregiver Support Program, three-year grants were awarded to nonprofit projects in nine states working in areas such as respite service support, home-care services, home modification, and individual and family counseling. Grants included $780,000 to REAL Services in South Bend, Indiana; $750,000 to the Los Angeles-based Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association of Southern California; $714,900 to the Isabella Geriatric Center in New York City; and $708,229 to Jewish Family and Children's Service of Sarasota-Manatee in Florida.
According to the 2003 National Alliance for Caregiving/AARP National Caregiver Survey, an estimated 30 million adults provide ongoing care for family and friends, with 75 percent of care provided by family members and other informal caregivers. The number of older adults who need assistance from formal and informal caregivers continues to increase due in large part to longer life expectancies and greatly improved healthcare techniques and technologies, according to the Weinberg Foundation.
"For many older adults living with debilitating illness and disabilities, the need for support stems from several factors, including greater financial need, lack of access to health care, unexpected health costs, and isolation from family members," said Weinberg Foundation president Shale D. Stiller. "Our goal is to provide support for the programs that will work directly with family and informal caregivers to provide assistance and train caregivers."
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