For families caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's disease, help can be hard to find. However, a local program is offering a lifeline to caregivers.

What You Need To Know

  • CDChoices provided more than 4,000 hours of respite care to more than 100 families in 2023

  • The program is free for caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease or dementia

  • Caregivers can choose their own respite workers, including friends or family members

Consumer Directed Choices (CDChoices), a nonprofit organization, is providing respite care services to families in New York. The program allows caregivers to take short breaks while ensuring their loved ones receive quality care.

Jennifer Buscema cares for her mother Deborah, who lives with Lewy body dementia. She says the program has been invaluable.

"I can actually take a breather and spend some much-needed quality time with my husband, my daughter and my son," Buscema said.

Andrew DeLollo, director of financial planning and analysis at CDChoices, reports that the organization provided more than 4,000 hours of respite to more than 100 families in 2023. This year, CDChoices aims to facilitate almost 6,000 hours.

The program is free and available to caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease or dementia. It allows caregivers to choose their own respite workers, often friends or family members familiar with the care recipient.

"We handle all of the payroll, all of the billing, all the taxes, and we try to relieve all of that kind of financial and emotional stress that would be on the caregiver," DeLollo explained.

For Buscema, the program means more quality time with her mother.

"Having all of these services has allowed us to keep her here, and that's worth its weight in gold," she said.