Hebrew SeniorLife Receives Alzheimer’s Association Grant To Improve Dementia-Specific Respite Care

Hebrew SeniorLife has received a $250,000 grant from the Alzheimer’s Association Center for Dementia Respite Innovation (CDRI) to enhance the quality and availability of dementia-specific respite care for people living with dementia and their caregivers.

Hebrew SeniorLife is one of 21 recipients chosen to receive grant funding from nearly 200 applicants across the country.

In conjunction with the grant, Hebrew SeniorLife will also receive online training and ongoing technical assistance from the CDRI to ensure respite services are dementia-capable and to support sustainability. The CDRI will also collect data and evaluate the impact of these innovative projects from all grant recipients to inform public policy.

“We congratulate Hebrew SeniorLife on its grant and look forward to working with its team to help enhance respite care services for local dementia caregivers,” said Sam Fazio, PhD, senior director of Quality Care and Psychosocial Research at the Alzheimer’s Association. “We intend to gain insights from each respite program we fund, ultimately developing a catalog of programs, tools, and resources that will be easily accessible to interested caregivers and care providers.”

The Alzheimer’s Association created the CDRI earlier this year after receiving a $25 million grant from the Administration for Community Living (ACL), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Over the next five years, the CDRI will provide $25 million in grant funding to local respite providers and organizations to enhance the quality and availability of respite care nationwide. Visit alz.org/cdri to see the full list of this year’s grant recipients.

Deanna and Sidney Wolk Center for Memory Health

The Deanna and Sidney Wolk Center for Memory Health at Hebrew SeniorLife provides comprehensive outpatient care related to brain health, cognitive and behavioral problems, and memory loss, whether due to Alzheimer’s disease, other dementias, or other neurological or psychiatric conditions.

We are committed to providing families and patients with answers, hope, and personalized interventions designed to minimize disability, slow the progression of symptoms, and maximize quality of life.

The Wolk Center welcomes patients and their families at every stage, whether interested in sustaining brain health, seeking a diagnosis, managing mild cognitive impairment, or navigating advanced stages of memory loss.

Funding disclosure

This project is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $32,962,453 with 75 percent funded by ACL/HHS and $8,333,333 amount with 25 percent funded by non-government source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Hebrew SeniorLife cares for more than 4,500 seniors a day across campuses throughout Greater Boston. Locations include: Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-Boston and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-NewBridge in Dedham; NewBridge on the Charles, Dedham; Orchard Cove, Canton; Simon C. Fireman Community, Randolph; Center Communities of Brookline, Brookline; Jack Satter House, Revere; and Leyland Community, Dorchester. Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife also conducts influential research into aging at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, which has a portfolio of more than $98 million, making it one of the largest gerontological research facilities in the U.S. in a clinical setting. It also trains more than 500 geriatric care providers each year. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit our website or follow us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn.