Haven Hospice recently received a $25,000 grant from the Thomas A. Plein Foundation that will go toward supporting its dementia care program.
The program is all about promoting education of dementia and what it entails for members of the Haven staff, patient caregivers and community partners.
By educating everyone involved with the program, Haven Hospice hopes to improve the quality of life for those facing dementia and the ones tasked with helping them on their journey.
The grant will help in the creation of memory cafes and caregiver support groups, as well as helping fund additional tools designed to help dementia patients.
“Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases affect each person differently,” said Anita Howard, Haven Dementia Care program manager. “The Plein Foundation’s gift will allow Haven to help staff, families and community partners identify how to best care for those living with dementia. We are thankful for these funds and are already putting them to use at Haven and in the communities we serve.”
Those tools include items, such as robotic animals, busy blankets, aromatherapy, baby dolls, puzzles and art supplies, which have been found to help dementia patients who are encountering memory loss or other thinking abilities severe enough to affect a person’s daily life.
However, preventing caregiver burnout is another hope that the grant will achieve, as those tools have also been found to help the stress faced by caregivers.
The good news surrounding Haven Hospice continues, as the organization is also preparing to certify 12 team members through Positive Approach to Care, LLC and Teepa Snow, which offers a wide range of educational courses for caregivers.
“Haven found that a significant number of its patients year-over-year had a dementia diagnosis and that some families were struggling to meet the cognitive, physical and emotional needs associated with dementia,” Howard said. “Our team realized that special training and education were a must to help us identify ways to assist each patient and their caregiver with having a better quality of life.”
The grants will serve the needs of patients throughout the 18 counties that Haven Hospice serves, including those making up the region of Northeast Florida.
To learn more about Haven Hospice and its dementia care program or anyone looking to give toward the cause can go to beyourhaven.org.
In 2020, the Haven Hospice Foundation was formed as a non-profit charitable organization with the goal of supporting Haven Hospice’s mission through fundraising efforts, and the grant from the Thomas A. Plein Foundation is just the latest results from that initiative.
