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I'm sharing, with permission, from SharynMMarie's comment on this thread:


https://www.agingcare.com/questions/the-caregiver-dysfunctional-families-149068.htm?orderBy=recent&page=2693


"Hilarity for Charity is teaming with Home Instead to provide grants for caregivers providing home care to a love one with dementia accross America and Canada."


I thought this would be of interest to many posters here.


Although I haven't done any research to determine what the criteria are, or which company/governmental agency might be providing the grants, I thought posters might want to contact Hilarity for Charity to get more details.


I've spoken with another agency that has participated in these types of grants over the past. So there may be other agencies/companies that are involved.


It's worth investigating to see what's available.


Sharyn, thanks for allowing me to repost your post!

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Leona Kitchens Foundation (Google it) gives out $500 dollar grants for respite. I got one last year. I had to pick an agency to use so they gave them the money, but I'll take any help I can get. It didn't last long, but it was something.

I applied for Hilarity for Charity and was denied. I'm sure they receive more requests than they can grant, but I wish they could tell me why they couldn't help me. I'm single, an only child, caring for my father with dementia after years of severe chronic mental illness.
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Yes. It’s a sad cycle that keeps the elderly, the disabled- and their family caregivers isolated.

As I looked after my mother in recent years it was discouraging to see not much had changed. Our elderly with dementia and illness- our disabled, remain society’s dirty little secret.
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Somehow, this doesn't surprise me. The charity really didn't understand the purpose of your request, or the intent. And it wanted to offer a solution that's cheaper than what would have been appropriate.

I think this is also typical of care for older people.
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Thanks, GA.

This was quite a while ago. I had wanted to fence my front yard so I could have Rainman outside with me when I worked on my flower beds - without having to worry he was going to run out into the street.

At the time I was a single mom and fell into the category of making too much money to qualify for just about any assistance but not enough to afford anything beyond immediate expenses. The amount of money I was having to pay to keep Rainman in a decent daycare was criminal. Seriously- it was illegal but I didn’t fight it as without this daycare center - I had nothing, and I needed to be able to keep my job.

Anyhoo - the charity came back with a counter offer of door alarms. They clearly had missed the point. But at the time I was so worn out with the constant struggle and dead ends , I didn’t attempt to clarify the purpose of the fence.

I haven’t lived in that house for about nine years - I did eventually get a lovely white picket fence - paying for it myself.
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RM, you probably know but if you don't, Habitat for Humanity does charity house improvement. I haven't investigated any further, so it's possible that they do this through a grant program.

Typically when I've learned about other programs, less structured, it's been on the news. But they don't get into the specific issue of how the work is funded or whether grants are involved.

I learned from a DIY forum years ago that some of the Methodist churches have a similar home help program. One of the regular posters helped with these projects in his community.

Just FYI.
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GardenArtist- it was a mix. I was able to get some respite dollars through a county program and I applied - but was ultimately turned down - for a grant for a home improvement project that was offered through a non-profit charity group.
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RainMom, were these grants through the county, state, or feds, or charities?

I'm beginning to wonder now if there aren't some resources that I haven't yet discovered.
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Back when Rainman was a child he had a wonderful case manager through our county Department of Aged and Disabilities- she would periodically call me to let me know of grants that were available for home improvements to make it easier to keep the aged/disabled living at home. Things like grab bars, wheelchair ramps, door alarms etc.

This may be a resource that people might want to check out.
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GSA, thanks for the clarification. I assumed it was a financial grant so the family/caregiver could purchase home care.

It's interesting how private duty companies expand and diversify their operations.

I'm wondering, and sooner or later will research, whether other charities fund home care grants on a more general basis. I'm thinking the VA might do something like this.
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GA and others, the grants are quarterly. It's a dot org website with the charity name you gave above with no spaces. I have no affiliation, but Please Please be aware that Hilarity for Charity is a grant based on HOURS OF RESPITE, not money grants, that are funded by Hilarity and provided by Home Instead. It would be lovely to get the respite time, but they are not giving out checks...:)
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