At our March 14 meeting, we were joined by Renee Mandarano, Volunteer Coordinator for Eddy Alzheimer's Services, who spoke about their Care Teams. The Eddy received a grant from the New York State Department of Health to expand the Care Team program, which had been successful in the Capital District, to the outlying counties of the area. They have established teams in Catskill, Roxbury, Vorheesville, Colunbia County, and other areas. There are 24 teams in the Capital District.
Care teams are usually faith-based and most teams have four people. The Greenville team started with seven people, and is now down to one person, so they are seeking new members. All clients are local residents. The team decides as a group how far to travel, and take turns visiting the clients. There is a three-hour training required. Each team meets every six weeks, and each team member gives two hours of service per month to the clients. The care teams do not offer crisis respite or direct care. They focus on the caregiver, and give companionship and break time to the caregiver by interacting with the person with dementia. They might do activities such as adult coloring, looking at photo albums, and the like. The Greenville team currently has four clients. Everything is planned six weeks in advance. Care team members can also connect clients with additional services. Catholic Charities has funds available to pay for direct care. There is a national shortage of home health workers at the present time. Clients are identified through Catholic Charities or through the Alzheimer's Association. For more information, or to volunteer for the Greenville Care Team, Renee can be contacted at 518-238-4162 or Renee.Mandarano@sphp.com.
Care teams are usually faith-based and most teams have four people. The Greenville team started with seven people, and is now down to one person, so they are seeking new members. All clients are local residents. The team decides as a group how far to travel, and take turns visiting the clients. There is a three-hour training required. Each team meets every six weeks, and each team member gives two hours of service per month to the clients. The care teams do not offer crisis respite or direct care. They focus on the caregiver, and give companionship and break time to the caregiver by interacting with the person with dementia. They might do activities such as adult coloring, looking at photo albums, and the like. The Greenville team currently has four clients. Everything is planned six weeks in advance. Care team members can also connect clients with additional services. Catholic Charities has funds available to pay for direct care. There is a national shortage of home health workers at the present time. Clients are identified through Catholic Charities or through the Alzheimer's Association. For more information, or to volunteer for the Greenville Care Team, Renee can be contacted at 518-238-4162 or Renee.Mandarano@sphp.com.