KUAR | By Daniel Breen
Caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia can benefit from a new grant program led by the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
The Dementia Respite Care Pilot Program is being headed by DHS, along Alzheimer’s Arkansas and the state chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Caregivers can get up to two $500 grants per year to help pay for respite care in-home or at a facility.
Applicants must wait six months before re-applying for the grant, which can be used for a third-party caregiver to come into the home, or for the patient to stay briefly at an adult daycare or short-term stay facility. The program, which was approved by the Arkansas Legislature, currently has about $200,000 in funding.
Daniel Breen/KUAR News
Carolyn Berry, executive director of Alzheimer's Arkansas, speaks with reporters at a news conference Tuesday at the Arkansas Department of Human Services office in Little Rock.