Service Excellence Award Team Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, RCI Training Center Staff, Georgia Southwestern State University

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1 Service Excellence Award Team Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, RCI Training Center Staff, Georgia Southwestern State University Nomination July 2015 Georgia Southwestern State University, in support of the Service Excellence Award Team nomination, hereby nominates the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving (RCI) and the staff of the RCI Training Center which have partnered with multiple agencies and organizations to offer a variety of quality caregiver support programs across the state of Georgia. These programs touch, directly or indirectly, the lives of all of the University System of Georgia employees and student families. The staff of the training center is excellent in customer service and mentors each organization/agency so that programs are implemented with fidelity and positively impact the lives of many families living in Georgia. Indeed, over this past year and currently, this impressive team has collaborated with all twelve Georgia (GA) Area Agencies on Aging (AAA s), the Georgia Department of Aging Services (GDAS), the GA AARP, and the Augusta Warrior Project to train individuals to administer and deliver a caregiver support program in their geographic location. Virtually, the RCI team has gone statewide in training. Caregiver support is incredibly important for those families who have a child or adult with a chronic illness such as Alzheimer s disease or other dementia or someone in their family who has returned from recent war deployment with a visible or invisible wound. For families caring for older adults, these programs allow their loved ones to age in place and avoid or delay moving to a nursing home. Family caregivers provide the vast majority of care and supports for older adults with dementia, with an estimated value of $470 billion in These family caregivers are unpaid currently who might take on that cost if the caregiver was not sustained in their valuable role? These caregiver support programs also enable military families and their loved ones to learn to adapt to the new normal and adjust their lives to meet the challenges faced. How many families/students/colleagues in Georgia are affected by dementia or a veteran? Georgia has 130,000 persons 65+ with Alzheimer s disease or other dementias with projections that this number will increase by 46% in coming years. Dementia affects 1 in 8 persons over the age of 65. Georgia is the ninth fastest growing state of older adults. In regard to veterans, Georgia has 12 military bases and total active duty/guard and Reserve/veteran population of 163,015. Of those returning home, 80% have a disability that limits mobility, 64% suffer from mental health issues, and 20% have a traumatic brain injury. The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving focuses its efforts on building quality, long-term home and community-based supports and services that strengthen caregivers efforts. Every family in the Georgia University system has been affected by the need for caregiving. Some specific outcomes have emerged from every partnership with the RCI. Below are brief descriptions of these caregiver support programs and partnerships, specific outcomes, and testimonials by individuals benefitting from working with the RCI Team. 1

2 BRI (Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging) Care Consultation Partnership with Georgia Area Agencies on Aging o BRI Care Consultation is an evidence-based telephonic caregiver and care receiver support program offered nationwide to address the issues of aging America. BRI Care Consultation is a cost-effective empowerment model of service to assist families in managing care and find simple, practical solutions to caregiving challenges. o Outcomes: Families who have participated in the program have experienced improved ability to provide care, reported less unmet caregiving needs, less stress associated with caregiving, fewer ER and hospital visits, and delayed nursing home placement. o Cost Analysis of Program: Program can be delivered at an estimated cost of $2.00/day or $60/month. When compared to the average nursing home cost of $166/day or $5000 monthly, this is quite a savings to families. o Served 603 families. o Gail H. Thompson, AAA Director, Heart of Georgia: "The Rosalynn Carter Institute not only provides visionary, cutting-edge leadership by identifying successful evidence-based programs to support caregivers such as BRI Care Consultation, the professional and caring staff provide training and assist with implementation of this and other evidence-based programs. Many caregivers benefit from the collaborative partnership between RCI and the Aging Network in the Heart of Georgia Altamaha (HOGA) AAA Region and throughout the State of Georgia." Operation Family Caregiver Partnership with Augusta Warrior Project o Operation Family Caregiver is an evidence-based one-on-one support program that builds strong military families and teaches problem-solving to families living with post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury and/or a physical disability. o Outcomes: Families are reporting decreased caregiver burden, decreased depression, better health and increased satisfaction of life. o Kim Elle, Executive Director, Augusta Warrior Project: The staff of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving are professional, friendly, and extremely helpful to Augusta Warrior Project as we are working to roll out their Operation Family Caregiver program here in Georgia. The ongoing intensive technical assistance they offer is vital to ensuring our success, and we appreciate knowing we can always pick up a phone or send a question by to get a quick response to help us with any issues or challenges we encounter during the implementation of this program. We are enjoying our partnership with RCI very much and look forward to its continuation in the years to come! 2

3 Georgia Department of Aging Services (GDAS) Partnership o For multiple projects leading to excellence in the delivery of services to the aging population of Georgia and their families. o Outcomes for programs have been positive and the relationship is growing. The state has now approved the roll out of a caregiver support program (BRI Care Consultation) across the entire state of Georgia with oversight provided by the team at the RCI Training Center in the upcoming year. o Served 500 families o Dr. Jay Bulot, Executive Director of GDAS: The Georgia Division of Aging Services has worked collaboratively for more than 20 years with the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving (RCI) on a broad array of programs, services, and protocols for older persons and their caregivers. RCI is nationally recognized as an authority on evidence-based programs, and the work of their highly competent staff has heightened awareness of caregiving issues and helped develop a continuum of care enabling caregivers in our state to continue in their caregiving journey. RCI REACH (Resources Enhancing Alzheimer s Caregiver Health) Partnership with AAA s in Georgia o RCI REACH is an evidence-based caregiver support program that teaches strategies for coping with troubling behaviors of loved ones living with dementia as well as instructs on techniques to offset stress. o Outcomes: Data analysis of metrics used to analyze program impact on families shows decreased stress and burden, decreased depression, delaying institutionalization of loved ones to nursing homes. o Served over 250 families. o Lisa Buice, RCI REACH caregiving coach: Families that I have worked with in their homes express that this program has helped them in ways that nothing else could far more than support groups and informational sessions. Caring for You, Caring for Me Partnership with AARP of Georgia o Caring for You, Caring for Me is a 5 week caregiver support program that was taught and shared with volunteers for AARP of Georgia. o Outcomes: Better quality of life, less frustration, more encouraged to maintain the role as caregiver. o Served 45 families o Myrtle Habersham, AARP Georgia State President (Interim): "The Rosalynn Carter Institute (RCI) staff members are an exceptional team. During the Caring for You, Caring for Me training provided to AARP GA, all were professional and genuinely cared that our volunteers would be serving 3

4 families in Georgia. I am proud to recommend the RCI staff team for this service award - all are dedicated, committed and compassionate about serving and working to improve the lives of caregivers and those for whom they care." The RCI Team goes above and beyond to serve others because that is where their passion lies. Serving Georgia families with enthusiasm and compassion is always a goal of this team. They have contributed additional volunteer hours to work with GSW nursing students to hold health care booths, teach free community caregiving classes, advocate for caregiver families, speak at state conferences and really take time to talk to families and students. It s obvious this team gives countless hours of their personal time because of their dedication to caregivers. This has been a highly successful and effective team and is deserving of recognition for the service it provides. 4

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