Rosalynn Carter Institute Funds UA Professor’s Caregiver Training Program in Middle Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – University of Alabama research professor Dr. Louis Burgio and Carolyn Forner of the Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging recently received funding from the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving to implement components of a program to train family caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients.

According to Burgio, staff from the Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging, based in Calera, will be trained to implement components of the REACH II intervention, one of the most highly effective and widely tested interventions for family caregivers.

REACH II, or Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health II, is one of the five innovative partnerships between researchers and community agencies working to provide effective caregiver supports funded by the institute, through Johnson & Johnson.

“The ultimate goal in Alabama is to make REACH interventions available in every community through the network of Area Agencies on Aging which is funded by the Older American’s Act,” said Burgio.

The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving was established in 1987 on the campus of Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, Ga., in honor of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, an alumna of GSW, to enhance her long-standing commitments to human development and mental health. The Institute works to establish local, state and national partnerships committed to building more effective long-term care systems and providing greater recognition and support for America’s caregivers.

“As the ratio of individuals with caregiving needs to both paid and family caregivers continues to escalate, the strains on the health of caregivers and on the nation’s economy are becoming apparent and will only escalate if we do not act now,” said Carter.

Since 2001, Johnson & Johnson, in partnership with The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, has awarded more than $1.25 million in grants to support innovative programs for caregivers. This partnership builds on the institute’s 20 years of advocacy for caregivers and on the credo of Johnson & Johnson to be “responsible to the communities in which we live and work” and “encourage…better health and education.”

“By caring for their loved one at home, these family caregivers are saving our health care system millions of dollars annually. It is imperative that they have access to the most effective interventions,” said Laura J. Bauer, director of the Johnson & Johnson/Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving program.