Kudos to Ellie McConnell, associate professor, for the submission of a subcontract proposal the Durham Center for Senior Life proposal to the Administration for Community Living (ACL) application entitled: "Dementia Inclusive Durham: Durham Center for Senior Life/HHS-2019-ACLAOA-ADPI-03”.  This proposal requests funding for a 3 year period with a start date of September 30, 2019. 

Durham Center for Senior Life (DCSL), in partnership with Durham Partnership for Seniors (DPfS) and key community stakeholders will, during this 3-year project, plan and implement the expansion of Dementia Inclusive Durham (DID) to promote a strengthened, coordinated, and dementia-capable home and community-based services (HCBS) system in Durham, NC.

The goal is to enhance wellbeing of persons living with dementia through an inclusive and creative- community-of-care approach within a strengthened dementia-capable HCBS system.

Objectives are to: 1) improve community-wide systems for identifying persons with dementia, including those living alone and those aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) with dementia; 2) engage persons with dementia, their families, and the community in a creative-community-of-care approach to promote wellbeing; 3) effectively serve and support persons with dementia, those living alone, and those with IDD with dementia and their families through an expanded and strengthened dementia-capable workforce; 4) enhance family caregivers’ skills in understanding and coping with challenging behaviors; 5) establish a comprehensive dementia education program for the public; and 6) promote the development of a dementia-capable and inclusive community.

Outcomes include 1) enhanced wellbeing of persons with dementia living in the community, those living alone, and those aging with IDD with dementia; 2) enhanced family caregiving skills and wellbeing; 3) improved coordination among the existing system of HCBS; 4) improved dementia knowledge and care competence for HCBS staff, family caregivers, and the public, and 5) a dementia-capable and inclusive Durham.