AWARE Announces New 2022-2023 Board of Directors and Grant Recipients

Dedicated to Fighting Alzheimer’s Since 1989

(Featured photo: Dr. Holly Hull Miori, President, AWARE.)*

Dr. Holly Hull Miori, 2022-2023 President of AWARE, is delighted to announce the new board of directors and the 2023 Grant Recipients. The 2022-2023 board members are: Karisti Julia, Immediate Past President; Emily Collins, Treasurer; Carol Stabler, Recording Secretary; Mari Epperson, Membership; Jolie Humphrey, Grant Review; Stacey Angel, Finance; Catherine Dickson Weber, Corresponding Secretary; Veronica Shanklin, Communications/Website; Barbara Mathes, Directory/Yearbook; Karen Koop, Programs-Logistics; Margo Crofford, Programs-Logistics; Gail Plummer, Grant Review-Elect; Dr. Kamilia Smith, Program Chair; Rev. Nicole Bates, Inspirational; Dr. Cindy Marshall, Webinar; Erin Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator; Jack Broyles, First Vice President; Bob Walker, Second Vice President.

AWARE 2022-2023 Grant Recipients are:

Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation:  Salary support for the Baylor AT&T Memory Center to provide a trained care-navigation specialist on site at the Center.  At the point of care, patients and families are provided with disease education, caregiver training and support groups, elder law and financial planning, and a 24/7 helpline.

Bishop Arts Theatre Center:  Support for the PatioLive! Creative Aging Program, a continuing program provided by trained theater artists.  The program incorporates stories, music, visual arts, and dance to improve the quality of life for individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementias living in low income memory care, independent living, and adult day care facilities.

C.C. Young:  Support for staff training on Alzheimer’s and dementia and programs in art and music therapy, service dog visits, exercise and movement programs designed to increase activity and interest for patients in the memory care unit of the retirement community.

Center For Brain Health:  Support for expansion of Alzheimer’s Voices, an online training series communicating brain health strategies, action items to create a plan, and testimonials from families sharing the power of practicing these concepts. Training will be accessible online via the CBH You Tube Channel enabling outreach to a wider, more diverse audience.

Christian Care Communities And Services:  Support for a series of programs providing dementia and Alzheimer’s awareness and education to the general public and healthcare workers. The curriculum is designed to increase participants’ technical abilities in caring for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s, as well as their empathy and understanding of these diseases.

Dallas Arboretum And Botanical Society:  Support for the expansion of the Memory Garden project held onsite at the Arboretum.  Individuals dealing with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers spend time in the gardens experiencing the tastes, scents, and textures of the herb/fruit and vegetable garden, and chef demonstrations of foods cooked with herbs and vegetables straight from the garden.  To further extend the Memory Garden outreach, the program includes the creation of 12 interactive videos to be shared with offsite Alzheimer programs.

For Love And Art:  Support for an interactive program bringing the art experience to people with cognitive impairment and limited mobility in 77 senior community long-term care facilities. The program is designed to stimulate art enrichment and memories to community residents while empowering caregivers to love people in creative and transformative ways.

Foundation For The Callier Center And Communication Disorders:  Support for the continued development of TheraBeat, an easy-to-use innovative solution for Alzheimer’s and dementia treatment with a non-invasive and cost-effective therapeutic.  TheraBeat is a sound therapy app that integrates beat stimulation with the patient’s own favorite music with goals of boosting memory and language function, known to be disrupted in such patients.

Jewish Family Service:  Support for the Older Adults Program staff  to provide in-home mental health counseling, care management, and daily living support to older adults with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, allowing them to remain living in their own home.

Juliette Fowler Communities:  Support for the salary of a director-level staff member to be responsible for the expansion of the nationally recognized I’M STILL HERE program into additional Fowler community neighborhoods. The program provides training, oversight, and engagement for professionals and families working with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.

NorthPark Presbyterian Church:  Support for the Casa de Vida Respite Program giving respite relief to caregivers every Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.  The program provides trained volunteers who give one-on-one care and stimulating activities to individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

Plano Symphony Orchestra:  Support for Healing Notes, a free music therapy-influenced concert designed and directed PSO Director of Educational Outreach, Dr. Jennifer Wheeler, to be an interactive experience for seniors.  Concerts are performed by professional orchestra members and targeted toward over 400 low-income seniors who are living in 17 memory care facilities and dealing with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. 

Songs & Smiles:  Support for publication of Joyful Memories, a 24-page printed magazine designed for families to share with loved ones living with Alzheimer’s and dementia.  Published and distributed quarterly,  the magazine’scontent is timeless and intergenerational, featuring original and curated pictures, stories, poems, and jokes designed to stimulate conversation and evoke memories.

Stomping Ground Theater and Training Center:  Support for Improv for Caregivers, a fun and interactive program for family and professional caregivers that uses improvisational comedy techniques to teach effective communication skills that are specific to the needs of persons with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Through interactive activities and games, participants gain a new understanding and a roadmap for effectively communicating with loved ones.

Texas Winds Musical Outreach:  Support for the Concerts for Seniors program providing 106 interactive concerts in 89 nursing homes and adult day care facilities bringing joy, relief from isolation, and peace to individuals affected by memory loss, and new communication skills to their caregivers.

The Senior Source:  Support for the Senior Companion Program matching trained volunteers with low income individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their families needing in-home assistance with meals, errands, and light housekeeping, providing caregivers with respite and/or time to work outside the home.   

UT Southwestern Medical Center:  Support for a second year of Dr. Christian LoBue’s research trial to further evaluate Noninvasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS) as an intervention in dementia associated with Alzheimer’s Disease, and to train an advanced doctoral student having clinical skills in Alzheimer’s Disease on how to deliver the stimulation as an intervention.

Wilshire Baptist Church:  Support for the Friday Friends Program addressing the need to provide respite to those who care for a dementia relative at home, and who have little or no assistance for relieving them of the constant care and supervision of their loved one.  Trained volunteers provide the Alzheimer’s patient with a stimulating day of art, music, and games for the individual with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Myrna D. Schlegel AWARE Scholarship Fund:   Scholarship support for nursing students at Baylor University, Texas Woman’s University, and Texas Christian University toward studies in gerontology, especially in the field of dementia.
        
Membership in AWARE includes benefits such as:
 · Network – Members participate in a network of individuals, many of whom have a personal experience with Alzheimer’s disease through a family member, friend, medical or other professionals in the field.

· Education – Members learn the latest information about the causes, treatment, and research on Alzheimer’s disease through meetings, field trips, and speakers.

· Resources – Members work collaboratively sharing information and best practices in the compassionate care of loved ones with Alzheimer’s through online and volunteer resources and membership meetings.

· Donations – Members know that grant recipients of the AWARE fund have been professionally vetted by The Dallas Foundation to ensure that money invested in our local community is leveraged for the best possible results in the fight to end Alzheimer’s disease.
       
AWARE is a component fund of The Dallas Foundation, a 501(c)3 publicly supported charity.  In partnership with the Foundation AWARE conducts an annual grant review process by which grant applicants are carefully and thoughtfully vetted to ensure that grant dollars are awarded to organizations that provide outstanding services to Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers, and to those research institutions that are at the forefront of medical research in the treatment, prevention, and cure of Alzheimer’s disease.  

Together with compassion and dedication we can make a difference. Join AWARE now and join the fight www.AWAREDallas.org   Instagram: @awaredallas. Facebook: @awaredallas

*Courtesy photo.

(Sharon Adams, Adams Communications Public Relations, is honored to represent AWARE and post this Philanthropy Lifestyles eBuzz.)