Support for People Impacted by Dementia
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, low-income people are at greater risk of developing dementia. Act Now Foundation educates at-risk communities about Alzheimer’s disease, prevention, early detection, and ongoing care and provides counselors for families.
Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Hudson County has the 4th highest percentage of older adults living with Alzheimer’s.
In New Jersey, some 447,000 caregivers are caring for more than 170,000 seniors with AD. Half have never been diagnosed and the other half have never been treated.
By the year 2050, Alzheimer’s is expected to increase by more than 600% in low-income, Hispanic and urban communities. The Act Now Foundation is focused on leveling the playing field.
HealthierJC + Act Now Foundation
The Act Now Foundation believes that building a Culture of Health means increasing health equity for low-income residents who face the highest risk for developing dementia.
HealthierJC acknowledged the contributions of the Act Now Foundation Haven, which seeks to:
- Reduce the incidence of dementia
- Heighten awareness of the early signs of dementia
- Increase the availability of diagnostic tools
- Improve quality of life
- Build health equity
- Create a more dementia-friendly environment
The Act Now Foundation collaborates with HealthierJC, hospitals, senior centers, housing authorities, and adult day-care facilities, providing workshops, support groups, memory screenings, and long-term care planning to low-income residents.
Mini-Grant Results
With the HealthierJC mini-grant, the Act Now Foundation’s Alzheimer’s Care Project’s offered free services to 30 minority, women, senior, disabled, and low-income residents in all wards. 
The Alzheimer’s Care Project ensured 24-hour care. Other services include:
- Assessment
- Treatment
- Disease Management
- Patient Independence
- Senior and Family Support
- Caregiver Knowledge
- Legal Assistance
- Care Planning
Often, unpaid family caregivers would abandon paying jobs. The Act Now Foundation referred families to legal and financial resources to safeguard assets and evaluate state/federal benefit eligibility.
Making a Difference…
“I’m passionate about breaking down the stigma around dementia. Thank you Act Now!”
—Katherine, an Alzheimer’s Care Project client
“Our journey with dementia began almost two years ago, when we realized something wasn’t right and took Dad to the doctor, who concluded that he was just getting old and suffering from anxiety and depression,” Katherine told Healthier JC.
That journey led to the Act Now Foundation’s Alzheimer’s Care Project.
Katherine relates, “Because he was so bright, Dad passed the tests and remembered the questions the next time.”
Eventually, “a friend recommended the Act Now Foundation, referred us to an incredible team of doctors, who diagnosed Dad with AD at age 64.”
Kristine Allen, an Act Now Foundation Project Coordinator, explained that people often stigmatize mental illnesses because “we’re fearful of watching a loved one become someone we no longer know.” She observed her mother-in-law converse with her own image in the mirror, believing she was talking to a friend.
Allen’s mother, stepfather, and two grandparents also succumbed to AD, but she is heartened that TV shows are now portraying characters with the disease.
“A key goal is to get a diagnosis,” Allen says. “The sooner we find out, the sooner lifestyle changes can be made.”
For more information, visit the Act Now Foundation (https://www.actnowfoundation.org).