Chelsea Senior Center – Ease the Day Program
The latest data reflects more than 100 million Americans are family caregivers, yet too many navigate this journey alone. "Caregivers: A Mini-Feature on Support, Community, & Innovation" highlights real stories, real challenges, and real solutions through the lens of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation’s collaborative grantmaking in Southeast Michigan and Western New York.Caregiving is one of the most meaningful and demanding roles in society. Since 2015, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation has strategically invested more than $78 million in programs, partners and initiatives to that elevate caregiver voices, increase direct resources, and strengthen the caregiver support network.This film shares powerful voices of caregivers, along with our many nonprofit and funding partners across Southeast Michigan and Western New York working together to provide innovative respite programs, community-based supports and increasing the visibility and stories of caregivers.
The Memory Café Collective, funded by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and Health Foundation for Western and Central New York, is an initiative in Western New York and Southeast Michigan aimed at supporting older adults and their caregivers by establishing memory cafés. These cafés provide social support, engagement opportunities, and overall wellbeing for participants in a welcoming environment. Participating arts and culture organizations will receive training and financial support to plan, implement, and sustain vibrant memory cafés. Memory cafés focus on promoting memory and brain health, fostering social interaction, and offering caregivers a network of support and resources. As the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias continues to rise, memory cafés play a vital role in meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by these conditions.
Learn more about the Exhale Memory Cafe Collective in WNY and SEMI.
Exhale is a collaborative initiative originally launched in 2019 by three key funders: the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, Health Foundation for Western and Central New York, and the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. The initiative aims to support family caregivers throughout western New York and Southeast Michigan, by providing them with respite and support. Managed by The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI), Exhale seeks to offer innovative solutions to alleviate the burden on family caregivers, allowing them to "breathe a little easier."
Exhale, the Family Caregiver Initiative, funds innovative collaborative projects that are reimagining and increasing respite opportunities for family caregivers of older adults. Respite, a period of rest or relief, can play a key role in reinforcing caregiver well-being and effectiveness, leading to better health, socialemotional outcomes, and lower costs of care for family caregivers and older adults they care for. Simply knowing respite services are available can lower caregiver stress by 70%. Caregivers need support to find time to rest, clear their minds, and take a breath.
To date, Exhale has helped teams of organizations learn and apply creative problem-solving techniques and work together to increase respite opportunities for family caregivers of older adults. Through this program, 16 successful projects were created. Exhale has three components:
- Training and capacity building in creative problem solving
- Grant funding of innovative caregiver respite projects
- Ongoing support toward effective implementation, sustainability, and expansion of respite projects through a learning community for grantee partners
Exhale involves recognizing the critical role of family caregivers in supporting older adults in the community. Research shows that respite, or periods of rest and relief, are essential for caregiver wellbeing and effectiveness. Exhale collaborates with nonprofit organizations, businesses, and employers in both western New York and Southeast Michigan to develop and implement projects that increase respite opportunities for family caregivers. Through training, grant funding, and ongoing support, Exhale aims to reinforce caregiver well-being, leading to better health outcomes and lower costs of care for both caregivers and the older adults they support.
Tight Knit™ is a content series about the many ways people are working to build stronger relationships and communities.
The first season of Tight Knit™ explores the complexity and joy inherent in providing care for an older family member. The stories provide a glimpse into a life stage that is or will become familiar to many of us, as the number of family caregivers grows rapidly. By the end of 2020, an estimated 117 million older Americans will need caregiving assistance of some kind.
Increasingly, it’s those closest to us – our partners, parents, siblings, friends and neighbors – who take on the many visible and hidden responsibilities associated with care. And, as our society adapts to the new norm of social distancing, it’s important to consider the additional impact it will have on caregivers. While the stories provide different experiences, they are universal in recognizing the family caregiver as a vital and selfless part of every community, deserving our unlimited support, attention and advocacy.
Tight Knit™ opens a door into the day-to-day lives of caregivers in Southeast Michigan and Western New York through eight podcast episodes and two short documentaries. The podcast series is available now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and the documentaries can be viewed on Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation’s YouTube channel.
There were also several national, regional, and local caregiving and health services partners that helped to spread the awareness of Tight Knit™ and were spotlighted for those in need of their resources.
