The Statewide Caregiving & Respite Coalition of NY

Announces the Winners of it’s

 “2009 Caregiving & Respite Achievement Awards.”

The Statewide Caregiving & Respite Coalition of NY (SCRCNY) announced the winners of its 2009 Caregiving & Respite Achievement Awards today. The purpose of the achievement award program is to honor outstanding, innovative and creative caregiving & respite services that have a long-range impact on citizens and/or the community within New York State.

“There are so many great programs that may only be known in a town, village or county. These programs are very unique, well thought out, are proven to work and should be shared statewide.” says Joanne Macklin, SCRCNY Executive Director. “We are privileged to be able to offer these awards and recognize the outstanding caregiving & respite services that make a tremendous impact on the lives of caregivers, care receivers and their families.

The Senior Services Achievement Awards has four categories:

1. Cross-generational Caregiving- Services and Programs that assist caregivers caring for people across the lifespan and across all disability areas.  

2. Kinship Care Programs - Services and Programs that benefit Kincare caregivers and the children they care for.  

3. Aging Services Caregiving Programs - Services and Programs that assist informal caregivers in their efforts to care for older persons who need help with everyday tasks to enable them to remain in the community.

4. Disabilities Services Caregiving Programs - Programs involving respite services for caregivers of individuals with disabilities through innovative programming.         

This years’ winner are:

1.     Cross-generational Caregiving – ShareTheCaregiving, Inc. of New York, NY. Share the Care is a grass roots movement that began in 1995. The mission of the Share the Care program is to improve the “quality of life” of persons who are seriously ill, disabled or experiencing the challenges of aging, and to reduce stress, depression, isolation and economic hardship often suffered by their family caregivers.

2.     Kinship Care Programs – Catholic Charities Caregiver Support Services Kinship Caregiving Programs of Albany, NY. The Kinship Caregiving Program’s goals and objectives are to offer support to relatives who are raising relative’s children. The program began in 1997 with seven caregivers and 12 youngsters. Currently the program services 77 families consisting of 94 caregivers and 134 children. The program provides families with the support and services they need in order to keep the family intact and prevent the children from entering the foster care system.

3.     Aging Services Caregiving Programs – Mercy Care for the Adirondacks, Lake Placid, NY. Mercy Care’s mission is to enhance in every dimension the fullness of life of elders and their caregivers living in their community independently. Mercy Care’s mission is implemented through: a) The offering of companionship and  friendship to relieve isolation and loneliness; b) The extending of advice, referral and assistance to elders and to their caregivers; c) The development of elder-friendly communities which encourage the participation and civic engagement of older adults; and d) The promotion through education and advocacy of a fullness of life for older adults in the communities of the Adirondacks.

4.     Disabilities Services Caregiving Programs  – Schenectady County Chapter, NYSARC, Inc., Schenectady, NY.  Schenectady NYSARC has developed an after school program created in direct response to families requiring an affordable program to address the specialized after-school needs of children. The program, provided at no cost to families, is particularly novel in that it is Schenectady County’s only fully integrated after-school program for children with developmental disabilities.  Goals of the program are 1) Provide relief to families who have traditionally sacrificed employment, leisure and other personal opportunities in order to provide after-school supervision for their children; 2) Provide students with enriching and productive after-school activities; 3) Assist non-disabled children (participating in our elementary after-school program) to acquire an increased awareness of the needs and issues facing individuals with disabilities.

Congratulations to this year’s winners and their truly remarkable caregiving & respite services.

Statewide Caregiving & Respite Coalition of NY (SCRCNY) is a statewide cross-generational cross-disciplines, network of organizations, whose mission it is to provide support services for caregiver and respite programs by fostering cooperative efforts to develop public awareness, advocacy, professional development and fund development.

SCRCNY is a program of the NYS Coalition for the Aging, Inc. The projects’ goal is to organize statewide caregiver and respite programs, develop a communication strategy and mechanisms to share best practices, education and training, other relevant caregiver and respite information and to position New York State, so that we may receive federal caregiving and/or respite care dollars.

The awards will be presented at a SCRCNY awards luncheon on November 17, 2009 at the Carondolet Hospitality Center in Latham, NY.