Building Pathways for Caregiver Support

Providing opportunities for support and connection to caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias

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Full Project Name:Building Pathways for Caregiver SupportPrimary Community Organization:TimeSlipsPrimary Academic Partner:Leslie Ruffalo, PhD, MS, Family MedicineAward Amount:$50,000

Award Date

January2024

Project Duration:12 months

Project Description Narrative:

More than 191,000 caregivers provide over 210 million hours of unpaid care to the 120,000 Wisconsin residents living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), and 83% of those caregivers report experiencing high or very high emotional stress related to caregiving.

Memory cafes are an important aid for caregivers and people living with ADRD, providing safe environments and accessible and stimulating programming, and physical or virtual spaces for caregivers and loved ones to socialize and build connections. There are currently 139 memory cafes throughout Wisconsin, more than any other state in the U.S.

Through this project, TimeSlips will develop an implementation plan for a referral process in Milwaukee County for healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and groups to host memory cafes and provide TimeSlips’ creative communication techniques. This will allow ADRD individuals and their caregivers with connections to underutilized resources with health providers and organizations, reducing loneliness and improving their general well-being.