Kansas caregivers will soon be able to apply for $1,000 grants to help take care of those with Alzheimer’s and dementia

By ABBY WRAY

Click here for updates on this story

    WICHITA, Kansas (KAKE) — 54,500 Kansans are living with Alzheimer’s, but it can still be isolating to talk about care options.

“It is hard to explain to people what it’s really like day by day, minute by minute,” said caregiver Judi Salo.

Salo cares for Chuck, her husband of 30 years who was diagnosed with dementia in 2021. She is one of about 85,000 caregivers in Kansas right now.

“It is 24/7. He’s up and down all night long. I don’t always hear him, but I hear him a lot. He talks in his sleep, so I never rest well,” explained Salo.

She attended a lunch and learn at the Advanced Learning Library on Tuesday to hear about the state’s Respite for Alzheimer’s & Dementia program. About 40 people attended the event online and more than 25 showed up at the library to learn more.

This new state grant program allows informal caregivers to apply for grants of up to $1,000 each year per person they’re caring for. That money can go towards approved adult day care, overnight care, in-home care and homemaker services, hopefully giving those caregivers a much needed break.

These grants took a lot of advocacy to get going on the state level, hence the delays on rollout.

The grant is not income based. Anyone can apply, although funding is limited.

“These funds are awarded on a first come first serve basis and caregivers, in some great news, can reapply for these funds each year,” explained Jamie Gideon, the Kansas director of public policy.

“I feel like as he continues to go down the ladder, I will probably need to do more things for myself just so I can keep my health,” said Salo.

Chamberlin is a caregiver to his wife Barbara, who was formally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2022.

“It’s exhausting when your sleeves are rolled up everyday caring for this person and the fact that you can hire a service now to come in and give you a breather is really amazing,” said Chamberlin.

He says he’s grateful grant programs like this exist to hopefully benefit not just the more than 54,000 people with Alzheimer’s, but their families and caregivers too.

“The Alzheimer’s Association, this program, offers us some hope and that’s what we cling to. Hope and science,” said Chamberlin.

To be eligible for this program, the caregiver must be a family member or other informal caregiver, 18 years or older, providing care to a person with Alzheimer’s or dementia, the person cared for must have a probable diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or dementia, and the caregiver has to be a Kansas resident living with the care recipient unless you specifically request an exception.

The program and approved vendor list is in the process of being rolled out and applications are not yet available to the public. When the applications are available, you can apply for these grants through the local Area Agency on Aging at 1-855-200-2372. The application includes a medical certification.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.