BREWSTER – The Alzheimer Family Support Center in Brewster will be one of 20 locations in the country to participate in the next phase of an Alzheimer’s/Dementia Caregiver Counseling Intervention Study.
The National Institute of Health funded study, which is being conducted by New York University, is the longest running caregiver intervention study ever done in the U.S.
The next phase of the study focuses on the effects of long distance caregiver support which is conducted through Skype-like teleconferencing with a trained professional guiding the conversation.
“They’ll be conducting essentially a family meeting to help talk through whatever issues are coming up through the caregiving,” said Melanie Braverman, the cultural director of the Alzheimer Family Support Center.
Braverman said the support center’s location on the Cape was an ideal location for the study.
“On the Cape I think the potential is huge because we have so many retirees here living without the benefit of adult children,” Braverman said. “And for those adult children, they sometimes feel like if you are not there how can you help.”
The support center’s location was not the only reason it was chosen to participate in the study.
“Part of why we were selected is that we’re already providing these services to the community,” Braverman said. “We are kind of the canary in the coalmine on the Cape. What happens here the rest of the county is going to reflect not very long from now.”
The sessions can also include more than one long distance individual.
“You can actually include more than one person in the conversation so it could be more akin to a conference call,” Braveman said. “So there could be more than one person from different sites calling in to this family meeting.”
The Alzheimer’s Family Support Center is a non-profit devoted to providing free service to 10,000 Cape Cod families, caregivers and individuals living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia relation illnesses.
Those interested in participating can contact the Alzheimer’s Family Support Center by phone at 508-896-5170 or by email at [email protected]. The center will still provide services for those not chosen for the study.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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