Senior Solutions to expand respite services with grant

Senior Solutions announced Monday that it has received a $10,000 Respite Care grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. This grant program recognizes family caregivers and the vital role they play by supporting nonprofits that address the occasional respite care needed to prevent caregiver “burnout.”

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Senior Solutions to expand respite services with grant | September 25, 2017 FacebookTwitterGoogle+Share SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Senior Solutions announced Monday that it has received a $10,000 Respite Care grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. This grant program recognizes family caregivers and the vital role they play by supporting nonprofits that address the occasional respite care needed to prevent caregiver “burnout.” Senior Solutions will support the expansion of services from an aging and dementia-focused respite program to include individuals from younger populations with physical disabilities, according to a press release from the organization. They will partner with the Vermont Center for Independent Living as well as other organizations to achieve the outreach to this population. Senior Solutions Executive Director Carol Stamatakis noted respite care can be physically and emotionally demanding and caregivers need intermittent assistance. “We are very grateful for this grant because it allows caregivers to reduce stress, restore their energy and keep their lives in balance. The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation should be recognized for providing this funding in support of such a critical need,” Stamatakis said in a statement. The Reeve Foundation funded a total of $160,000 nationally in respite care grants to recognize family caregivers and the vital role they play. A total of 19 nonprofit organizations were awarded one-year grants to provide four to six days of respite per family, allowing a caregiver to tend to their own medical needs, appointments and overall well-being. “One of our goals is to provide caregivers and families the support they need to properly care for the loved ones and themselves without feeling overwhelmed,” said Maggie Goldberg, vice president of Policy and Programs for the Reeve Foundation. The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis through grants, information and advocacy. It meets all 20 of the Better Business Bureau’s standards for charity accountability and hold the BBB’s Charity Seal. Senior Solutions is one of five nonprofit area Agencies on Aging in Vermont. Formerly known as the Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont, Senior Solutions has provided Older Americans Act social services to Vermonters 60 years and older, their caregivers and families for more than 40 years.