About Us | Locations | Board of Directors Employment Opportunities | Annual Report | Funding Mission Statement The Alzheimer’s Association is the national volunteer health agency dedicated to researching the prevention, cure and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders and to providing support and assistance to afflicted patients and their families. In , Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties, the Alzheimer’s Association’s mission is to meet the needs of an ethnically and culturally diverse population by: . Offering patient and family services to aid persons with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers; . Educating both the public and health care professionals; . Supporting research into the cause, prevention, treatment and cure for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders; . Advocating improved public policy and promoting needed legislation.
Los Angeles County Statistics There are over 150, 000 people afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia in Los Angeles County. For most of these individuals, there are one to three family members facing the daily challenge of giving care and support. Los Angeles is an ethnically diverse county. Of its over nine million residents, an estimated 41 percent classify themselves as Latino/Hispanic, 36 percent as Non-Hispanic Whites, 10 percent as African American, 12 percent as Asian or Pacific Islanders and 0. 5 percent as American Indian or Other. Cultural and linguistic diversity is part of the Los Angeles experience.
What Our Chapter Offers To fulfill our mission and reach our diverse community, the Alzheimer’s Association of Los Angeles offers the following programs: Patient and Family Services Helpline The Helpline is available in both English and Spanish. Callers receive support, information and local referrals to support groups, nursing homes, attorneys and more. The Helpline’s number is (323) 938-3370 or (800) 660-1993 (California only). Family Connections Family Connections helps people with dementia and their families by providing professional support, information and connections to community services. Legal Assistance Low cost legal consultations are offered to long distance caregivers whose afflicted relative resides in Los Angeles County.
Caregiver Classes Thousands of caregivers are reached through activities that the Chapter sponsors throughout Los Angeles County. See the Calendar section of this web site for more information. Home Care Assistance Program This program provides emergency assistance to caregivers in need of financial assistance to help them offset the high cost of paying for in-home care, attending an adults day care, or paying for care products. There is a waiting list for this program; please call our Helpline for more information.
Support Groups The Alzheimer’s Association of Los Angeles coordinates over 74 groups. For a full listing go to the web site section on Support Groups. Safe Return A national registry and identification bracelet program for people who are at risk for wandering away, Safe Return results in hundreds of saved lives annually. A Safe Return application is available by calling our Helpline at (323) 938-3370 or (800) 660-1993 (California Only) or go to our web site section on Safe Return to download an application.
Community Education Speakers’ Bureau/All About Alzheimer’s Series There are over 150 members of the Speakers’ Bureau including physicians, other professionals, and family caregivers. Language capacity exists in a variety of languages. To request a speaker in Los Angeles County or to join our Bureau, call (323) 938-3379 or (800) 660-1993 (California only). Community Education Events The Alzheimer’s Association of Los Angeles cosponsors with community agencies, educational events for the general public. Over 3, 000 people are reached annually in approximately 90 events, which take place across the county, and in a variety of languages. Go to the Calendar section of this web site for more information about upcoming events.
Library The Chapter’s library collection has grown and includes a broad selection of videotapes, books, and periodicals. To learn more, visit the Library section of our web site or visit us in person. Call (323) 938-3379 and ask to speak with a librarian to make an appointment. Literature The Chapter distributes a broad range of literature including educational pamphlets, books, training materials and brochures. See this web site’s section on Education and Training for a catalogue of materials. Gate Keeper Programs A variety of educational programs are offered to individuals who encounter people with dementia but are not direct care providers.
They include educational programs for youth, the clergy, police, attorneys, judges and more. Professional Training Dementia care training programs are in place for various types of professionals including physicians, nurses, social workers, certified nurse’s aides, and home care workers. Some training programs are offered in Spanish. The Association is an approved provider of continuing education credits for residential care administrators (RCF E), nursing home administrators (BE NHA), social workers (MFC C/LESS), and nurses (BRN).
See this web site’s section on Education and Training for more information. Physician Education and Outreach A variety of programs are offered to educate physicians and other health care providers. For more information see the sections on Education and Training and on Treatment and Research. Kaiser Permanente Project Since 1994 the Chapter has been engaged with Kaiser Permanente’s Metropolitan Los Angeles Region in a demonstration project to improve the quality of health care delivered by this managed care organization.
Activities include physician and social worker education, support groups, caregiver education and more. Adult Day Services Institute (ADSI) Since 1987, the ADSI has awarded grants to Los Angeles County adult day care centers. The Institute also provides training and technical assistance to centers. Several training products have been created and are available for sale, including a manual for volunteers and a start-up kit for dementia-specific adult day services. Community Outreach and Development El Portal: Latino Alzheimer’s Project Dementia Care Network (East/Southeast Los Angeles) Since 1992, this network of services for Latinos has been developed and coordinated by the Alzheimer’s Association of Los Angeles in partnership with state and community agencies. Services include care management, support groups, legal services, and adult day service centers.
Al taMed Health Services, Inc. in Southeast Los Angeles, the Human Services Association in southeast Los Angeles, Bet Tz edek Legal Services and others are partners in delivering these services. The El Portal Project is nationally recognized as a model for reaching under-served communities. West Central Dementia Care Network The Alzheimer’s Association works in collaboration with several community agencies in the West Central Region of Los Angeles to develop services for African American caregiving families. The service area includes Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lennox, the Crenshaw district and surrounding sections of the Los Angeles County and City. Two sites, the Inglewood Senior Center and Delta Sigma Theta Life Development Center, each hosts a specialized case manager to work with dementia families in this area.
In addition, People Coordinated Services, Drew University and the First A. M. E. Church are hosting support groups. Call the Chapter for more information.
Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Outreach Outreach activities include the translation of educational materials into a variety of languages, educational activities co-sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association and a variety of community agencies, recruitment of Speaker’s Bureau members, promotion of chapter direct services, and training and technical assistance given to community agency staff. Alzheimer’s Association Center at CSUN A service and training site is on the campus of California State University at Northridge. Services include support groups, information, referral to services, community education and professional training. Public Policy The Alzheimer’s Association of Los Angeles’s public policy program monitors local, state and federal legislation and recommends legislation to the Chapter for support / oppose positions. To learn more, visit the Legislative Advocacy section of our web site.