Helpful Connections
We are working with a constellation of groups across the country to help provide information, support and resources for patients and caregivers. Our Helpful Connections include local organizations, national organizations, expert sources of information, and help when needed. If you have an organization helping families struggling with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia and would like to be listed on this page, please get in touch with us at info@heartofthesolution.org.
Local Support
The Eldercare Locator is a nationwide service that connects older Americans and their caregivers with trustworthy local support resources. Since 1991, the Eldercare Locator has been linking those who need assistance with state and local agencies on aging, as well as community-based organizations that serve older adults and their caregivers. Whether help is needed with services such as meals, home care or transportation, or a caregiver needs training and education or a well-deserved break from caregiving responsibilities, the Eldercare Locator is there to point that person in the right direction.
Join the fight against Alzheimer's by getting involved with your local chapter. Together, we can advance critical care, support and research. Start by finding an Alzheimer's Association chapter in your community.
Care & Support
At Alzheimer’s Caregivers Network, we will tirelessly pursue more resources, more funding and a better quality of life for the heroes caring for their loved ones with this disease. We help enable caregivers to protect themselves against burnout while gaining the confidence and knowledge required to improve the quality of life for themselves and loved ones.
The National Alliance for Caregiving is a non-profit coalition of national organizations who share a vision of a society that values, supports and empowers family caregivers to thrive at home, work and life. Its mission is to build partnerships in research, advocacy, and innovation to make life better for family caregivers. The Alliance conducts research, does policy analysis, develops national best-practice programs, and works to increase public awareness of family caregiving issues. Recognizing that family caregivers provide important societal and financial contributions toward maintaining the well-being of those they care for, the Alliance supports a network of more than 80 state and local caregiving coalitions through its advocacy collaborative and engages researchers committed to caregiving through its research collaborative. NAC is a founding member of the International Alliance of Carer Organizations (IACO).
Caregiver Respite Program
HFC® (formerly Hilarity for Charity) and the Home Instead® network are working together to award home care grants to those providing care to their loved ones living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. The HFC Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Grants are awarded across the United States and Canada. The goal of the grant program is to provide exceptional home care to families affected by this disease, and to give these families support and rest. These grants are facilitated by Home Instead, where available. These grants are for respite care hours, there is no cash value.
Online Support Groups
HFC’s Online Support Groups are free and designed to help people who are navigating their way through any stage of an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. And they’re scheduled to fit with caregivers’ busy lives.
No one should face Alzheimer's alone. The Alzheimer’s Association offers a host of helpful information and resources for those living with or caring for someone with Alzheimer's or other dementias.
Education
Congratulations! You’ve been accepted at HFCU, the Harvard of online Alzheimer’s education schools led by popular comedians. And unlike the real Harvard, HFCU is totally free, doesn’t require an application essay, and there’s no homework—just some work that you’ll do at your home to help you learn!
Best of all, when you “graduate” from HFCU, instead of some stodgy old diploma that’ll do nothing but gather dust on a wall and get you a high-paying job at a prestigious law firm, you’ll get something WAY more important: the tools to keep your brain in top shape in the fight against dementia.
Evidence continues to show that many of the lifestyle habits we know are good for healthy aging such as good nutrition, physical activity, quality sleep, and social connection can also reduce the risk of dementia. And people are more likely to make these important lifestyle changes when they understand the risk factors that impact memory and brain health. Health and wellness providers have an important opportunity to connect the dots, and Brain Health Academy provides the information and resources to help do this.
The Administration on Aging/ Administration for Community Living (AoA/ACL) funds the National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center (NADRC). The goals of the NADRC include, but are not limited to, the provision of expert technical assistance to AoA/ACL and its grantees, as well as making program information and resources available to individuals and organizations outside the Alzheimer’s grantee community.
Resource center staff provide individualized technical assistance to grantees and AoA/ACL program staff when requested. This assistance can include consultation on specific topics related to Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, grant reporting requirements and submission process, or other topics requested by grantees. The expertise of the Resource Center team is broad, with combined experience and knowledge related to a variety of topics including, dementia-capable systems, supportive services for people with dementia and caregivers, evidence-based caregiver interventions, behavioral interventions for people with dementia, data collection and reporting, and program evaluation.
Research
The Alliance for Aging Research is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the narrative to achieve healthy aging and equitable access to care. The Alliance strives for a culture that embraces healthy aging as a greater good and values science and investments to advance dignity, independence, and equity.
At the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, we follow a venture philanthropy model, funding breakthrough research in academia and the biotech industry. Through the tremendous support of our donors, the ADDF has awarded more than $290 million to over 750 Alzheimer's drug discovery programs, biomarker programs, and clinical trials in 20 countries. Twenty percent of the drugs in clinical development for Alzheimer's disease have received support from the ADDF.
The vision for Cure Alzheimer’s Fund was set by our founders. Frustrated with the slow pace of research about the disease, they applied their experience in venture capital and corporate startups to build an organization specifically designed to accelerate research, make bold bets, and eradicate the disease. The organization’s unwavering focus on finding a cure is made possible by Our Board of Directors, Trustees, and a core group of other donors who direct their donations to our overhead expenses so that 100% of general donations go to our research program.
Registry & Clinical Trials
Alzheimer’s Association TrialMatch® connects individuals living with Alzheimer's, caregivers and healthy volunteers to clinical trials that may advance Alzheimer's research. The free, easy-to-use service allows you to see which studies are a good fit for you or a family member. Search for studies, receive email notifications about new opportunities or connect with research teams.
The Alzheimer's Prevention Registry, led by Banner Alzheimer's Institute, unites leading researchers with people like you who are interested in taking part in Alzheimer's studies. We focus our work on helping scientists advance our knowledge of Alzheimer's and its prevention.
Unfortunately, 80 percent of studies are delayed because too few people sign up to participate. We aim to change this situation by identifying promising new studies that need help and connecting Registry members to them. Learn more about how the Registry works and why it's so important for people to join.
None of us can tackle this battle alone -- whether you're a scientist, a clinician or a member of the public. Fortunately, none of us has to. We're working together to create a legacy: a future without Alzheimer's.
Memory Screening
The mission of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) is to provide support, services and education to individuals, families and caregivers affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias nationwide, and fund research for better treatment and a cure.
The commitment of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America to those we serve is derived from the collaboration of our leadership, seasoned staff, strategic partners, and loyal supporters.
If you feel like your organization should be listed as a Helpful Connection, please contact info@heartofthesolution.org. We would love to work with your organization to bring relief to the millions of individuals and families that are looking for help and answers every day.
Listing on this page does not indicate an endorsement of The Heart of the Solution.