HFC® (formerly Hilarity for Charity) and the Home Instead® network are working together to award home care grants to those providing care to their loved ones living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. The HFC Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Grants are awarded across the United States and Canada. The goal of the grant program is to provide exceptional home care to families affected by this disease, and to give these families support and rest. These grants are facilitated by Home Instead, where available. These grants are for respite care hours, there is no cash value.
In this video, learn more about the importance of respite care and how the grant program from HFC and Home Instead supports caregivers.
What’s Included in a Grant
The grant program includes a free home care consultation so you can learn more about how these services can benefit your loved one (and you, as a family caregiver!). Alzheimer’s care services funded through the grant program will be delivered by a highly skilled and trained Home Instead CAREGiverSM. Here are a few of the many ways professional in-home Alzheimer’s care can benefit your loved one:
- Allows the senior to remain safe at home
- Encourages engagement
- Provides nutritious meals
- Creates social interaction
- Provides mind-stimulating activities
- Tracks changing behaviors
- Honors who the senior was earlier in life
- Supports the family
These Alzheimer’s and dementia care grants make it possible for you to get some time for yourself – to recharge your caregiving battery – while enjoying the peace-of-mind that comes from knowing your loved one is receiving top-notch care.
Grant Eligibility
To be eligible for the Recharge Relief Grant or the Extended Relief Respite Grant, the caregiver(s) or loved one living with Alzheimer’s & dementia must be professionally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia and fit within the following criteria.
- Currently living at home with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia.
- Caregiver(s) is facing financial and emotional hardships due to the unique challenges of Alzheimer’s or related Dementia.
- Resides in the United States or Canada.
*Only one application per person will be accepted on a quarterly basis. Grant program not available in Puerto Rico or other US territories.
Respite Grant Options
Recharge Respite Grant
The Recharge Respite Grant is a one-time grant of 50 hours of respite care to be used within 3 months of being awarded. If awarded a Recharge Respite Grant, upon completion of this grant, applicants are able to reapply for another grant if needed. This grant is designed to provide respite to family caregivers that need to take time to personally recharge and focus on themselves.
Extended Relief Respite Grant
The Extended Relief Respite Grant is a six-month grant of 25 hours of respite care per week for six months (24 weeks). Upon completion of this grant, applicants are able to reapply for another grant if needed. This grant is designed to provide extended respite to family caregivers who need to take time to focus on their personal and professional lives.
Due to limited funding, there are a limited number of Extended Relief Grants available. The review committee will award grants based on available funding and need.
Completing the Grant Application
Only online applications are accepted. Provide a thorough narrative of your caregiving situation. **Watch the above video beginning at the 15:00 mark for helpful tips to complete your application.
Applications are reviewed on a monthly basis. After submitting the application you will be contacted via email within 60-90 days. All applicants will be notified of their status.
*Announcing Important Updates* to the HFC Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Grants Program – Effective June 1, 2021
In order to support more families in need of respite care, the HFC Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Grants guidelines have been updated. The new guidelines will go into effect on June 1, 2021. Any questions can be emailed directly to [email protected]
- Grant awards will be limited to a maximum of THREE (3) awards per applicant within an 18-month period;
- Of those three grant awards, there is a maximum limit of TWO (2) Extended Relief Grants;
- Once the maximum number of grant awards is reached, the grant recipient will be eligible to reapply 18-months from the start of the first grant awarded;
- Grant recipients will be notified via email when they are eligible to apply again.
Please note: Applicants are not guaranteed THREE (3) grants or any specific level of the grant within the 18-month time period. Additionally, reapplying does not guarantee that applicants will receive a new grant or the same level of grant award received in the past.
Start Your Application
Comience su aplicación
Grant Recipient Stories
Until you’ve cared for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, it’s difficult to understand the toll it can take on family caregivers. Providing care to a parent or spouse with a chronic disease can consume every second of your day. It can become hard to find the time to take a moment for yourself. Being stretched so thin can lead to guilt because you feel you cannot be all the places you should be, doing all the things you should be doing—especially if you have no other family members to help you.
But there is hope and light along the caregiving journey. These family caregivers share their experiences providing care for a loved one and the value the Dementia Home Care Grant had for their families.
Randi’s Story
Randi cares for her husband Glen who has an amazing personality. He had the ability to light up a room and a lot of people were drawn to him. After Glen was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, Randi caught herself thinking, “I’m going to die. This is going to kill me too.” A week later she received a Dementia Home Care Grant. “It changed my life completely. She treats us like family. I know that when I leave here, I don’t have to worry about a thing. I think that without caregivers, I’d be pretty sick right now.”
Shari’s Story
Shari and her mom did everything together, but late stage Alzheimer’s took those experiences away. Shari felt chained to the house as her mom’s primary caregiver until she received her Dementia Home Care Grant. The first thing Shari did when a caregiver came to help her was take a walk to the river. Shari said: “I sat on that bench and I cried. I let out a river that had been built up for so long. And then, I looked out over the water and I praised God.”
Barbara’s Story
“People who know little about dementia do not understand the all-encompassing stress of being a caregiver. It is too much.” Those powerful words come from family caregiver Barbara, who cared for her mother with dementia until she passed away a few years ago.
Barbara was pursuing a college degree when her mother was diagnosed with dementia. When the caregiving burden became too much for her mother’s husband to handle, Barbara moved her mother into her own home.
“I had a lot going on in my life, but having my mom quadrupled that,” Barbara says. “Suddenly you have to take responsibility for every aspect of another person’s life: financial, legal. You have to be their health advocate. It takes a lot of stamina to get everything done.”
“To be honest, I forgot all about the application after I submitted it,” Barbara said. “Then, a few months later, I heard I’d received an award for 25 hours of care per week for 52 weeks. I called my local Home Instead office to arrange it.”
Barbara’s mother could not be left alone for any length of time, due to the severity of her dementia. That meant Barbara had to provide 24-hour supervision, with no time to take care of her own needs.
“The grant affected my quality of life tremendously,” Barbara said. “The first thing I did was take some time for myself. If I wanted to go down in the yard and do something for a while, I could do it. If I needed to run down to the post office, I could do it.”
The grant also benefited Barbara’s mother by providing social stimulation from someone other than her daughter. “I think the biggest benefit for Mom was the fact she had interactions with someone different from me,” Barbara said. “Just knowing there is someone there who will hold your hand and care…that means a lot [to people with dementia].”
