Grant to help adults with early memory loss

By Jeremy Twitchell

Monday, Aug. 31, 2009 | 1:59 a.m.

Southern Nevada adults suffering from early memory loss will soon have a new resource at the recently opened Adult Day Care Center of Henderson.

The center, which provides assistance and activities for care-dependent adults, announced last week that it has received a grant from the Brookdale Foundation, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving care for the elderly. The grant will fund the establishment of the Early Memory Loss Center at the day care center, which opened in March next to Nevada State College in Henderson.

In addition to the $7,500 initial grant to start the program, the Brookdale Foundation will provide ongoing technical support and will bring day care workers to an annual conference dealing with the treatment of memory loss.

“It’s a major gift in a number of ways,” said Jeffrey Klein, executive director of the Adult Day Care Center of Henderson. “While the initial dollars themselves are not overly large, the seed money that they provide is invaluable. In addition to that, there’s the technical consultation, which is very helpful in getting a program this innovative off the ground.”

Klein said the grant is the first of its kind that the Brookdale Foundation has given in Nevada, and that the Early Memory Loss Center will the first of its kind in the state.

“It’s an exciting time to be in this field,” Klein said. “We’re really at new frontiers.”

The Early Memory Loss Center will provide classes, memory-strengthening activities, entertainment and support groups for adults suffering from early memory loss, Klein said. Center staff members are working with therapists and medical professionals from local universities and state agencies on a curriculum, and twice-weekly sessions are expected to begin in about two months, he said.

Initial sessions will have 10-15 adults in them and will cost about $55-$65 per session per participant, Klein said, though he is hoping that the cost will be subsidized by Medicare, private insurance and state grants.

The Adult Day Care Center of Henderson also received a $25,000 grant from the State of Nevada Division of Health this week that will, in part, help fund the Early Memory Loss Center and offset some of the cost for participants. Klein said he hopes to receive similar grants from the state and other sources.

“The value of the (Brookdale) grant is far in excess of ($7,500),” he said. “(Brookdale) really intends for them to be seed grants to encourage the local community to embrace this program and help secure additional sources of funding.”

According to the Alzheimer Association, about 12 percent of all individuals 65 and older have some form of cognitive impairment, and the percentage rises sharply for individuals 85 and older. Based on those numbers, Klein said it’s safe to estimate that there are more than 4,000 adults in Henderson alone that are dealing with some form of memory loss.

“Since this is a startup program, we’ll barely impact the overall number,” he said. “But as we grow, we hope to reach as many people as possible who are open to this process and willing to seek information.”