Support Groups —
More Necessary Than Ever
T he economic crisis that started in the summer of 2007 has created serious difficulties for
caregivers in the Chapter’s support groups. “It’s like dementia,” a caregiver said to me. “It seemed
to come out of nowhere, although when you think about it, there were signs of it for years we
could deny or ignore. And it’s awful to think about how long it could last.”
In November 2008, the NYC Department for the Aging (DFTA) announced it was going to
eliminate funding for about a dozen social adult day programs. By January 2009, those programs
closed. The result is many caregivers can’t find a social adult day program that is affordable and
open five days a week.
In the Madison area of Brooklyn where Sophie Finkelman leads a group, she reports that
caregivers in her group recently learned some programs won’t be operating in the summer
at all.
The social adult day program at the Self Help Clearview Senior Center in Bayside, Queens
lost its DFTA funding and closed after 20 years. However, caregivers were so desperate to keep
the program going a few days a week that they volunteered to pay higher fees, according to Ellen
Sarokin, Senior Social Worker and support group leader at the Self Help Clearview program.
Trish Spoto, former director of the Health Enhancement Program (HEP) and support group
leader at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House in Manhattan (another program shut down after 13
years), says most caregivers haven’t been able to find another program. “The burden on them has
definitely increased,” she said.
The destruction of social adult day programs is a major loss for all caregivers. These
programs give caregivers the opportunity to go to jobs, take care of their own needs and
attend to other problems with the peace of mind that their relatives with dementia are being
supervised observed and occupied by staff trained in dementia care. Being occupied during
the day may help a person with dementia sleep through the night. Every Alzheimer’s caregiver
knows what a blessing that is.
Fortunately, the Chapter’s 120 caregiver support groups as well as the training and supervision
offered to group leaders are all free of charge. Support groups are essential to caregivers and we
plan to be around for a long time.
For more information, please contact Sharon Shaw at 646-744-2932 or sshaw@alznyc.org or
Wendy Panken
at 646-744-2917 or wpanken@alznyc.org.
— Wendy Panken, LCSW
Manager, Support Groups
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