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Julie Yoder paints Lucille Wongittilin's nails at the Nome Community Center (photo by Winona Huffman)

Funding from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority allows the Alaska Commission on Aging to offer innovative and unique programs to address the needs of beneficiaries. While most of the programs focus on persons with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (ADRD), other beneficiaries include persons with mental illness and substance abuse disorders in a collaborative effort with the Alaska Mental Health Board and the Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.

Grants for FY01 include:

• Innovative Respite – explores alternative methods for delivering respite for persons with ADRD beyond current respite guidelines.

• ADRD Mini-Grants – addresses client specific needs, which include dental/vision/hearing and adaptive equipment.

• Substance Abuse Treatment for Seniors – offers outreach, referral, and treatment for persons with substance abuse disorders.

• Day Treatment for Seniors with Mental Illness –provides case management and day programming for persons with mental illness.

• Board Development on Rural Issues – visits to a rural area promotes the exchange of information regarding services available and identifies needs that remain.

• Rural Respite Video Training Program – facilitates training through the dissemination of a video to address dementia issues for respite workers in rural areas.

All of these grants (with the exception of the development of the video) will also be available in FY02-03 to continue services and assist in planning for appropriate services for the future.

ALZHEIMER'S DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

The Alzheimer's Demonstration Project in Southeast Alaska was initiated through a 3 year grant from the Administration on Aging to the Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA). A partnership was established with SouthEast Senior Services (SESS) to assist in the delivery of services throughout Southeast Alaska to persons identified with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders and their families. The Alaska Alzheimer's Association delivered training and education on dementia in Haines and Sitka and also completed and distributed the Rural Respite Video throughout Southeast. A neuropsychologist was identified in Sitka who was presenting memory workshops and doing evaluations and expressed an interest in working with the Project.

Contacts were made with 3 communities (Metlakatla, Haines and Sitka) to assess needs related to dementia and contracts for service were developed with 2 agencies (Center for Community and Cornerstone). Services of Universal Workers will be utilized by the home health agencies in an attempt to employ one worker to provide respite, chore, and personal care services rather than utilizing several different workers. This will provide more continuity for the client and family and enable a more specialized approach by a worker trained in dementia. Additional resources will also be identified to address needs not covered by funding through the Project. A review of respite models available in other states has been undertaken and will continue throughout the Project with the expectation that group respite will be established in one community.

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