The Youth Movement Against Alzheimer’s chosen for LA2050 Grant to Develop Youth-Based Solutions to Alzheimer’s Care

Los Angeles, CA (October 09, 2018) – This month, LA2050 awarded the Youth Movement Against Alzheimer’s (YMAA) a $35,000 honorable mention grant for YouthCare, its groundbreaking approach to addressing Alzheimer’s disease by offering free respite care for dementia caregivers by connecting families to student volunteers. YouthCare is an affordable, intergenerational respite and memory care program that pairs trained college student volunteers and persons with early-stage dementia in a community-based setting. YMAA is a strategic partner of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s and co-convener of the Youth Against Alzheimer’s Coalition.

 

“We are honored and excited that LA2050 has selected YMAA to improve the lives of Angelenos affected by dementia, their family members, and students,” said Nihal Satyadev, CEO & Co-Founder of YMAA. “LA2050’s investment in YouthCare demonstrates the importance of supporting the millions of family caregivers for those living with dementia. Over the next few years, we plan to transform access to care in Los Angeles, sparking a movement that will create a future worth remembering.”

 

YouthCare provides students and seniors with the opportunity to connect and build formative relationships. For three hours, twice a week, they play games, participate in artistic activities, and deliver the research-backed Brain Boot Camp, developed by the UCLA Longevity Center to help people compensate for age-related cognitive decline. Students and seniors are paired based on similar interests and hobbies, creating a unique mentor-mentee relationship.

 

Of the 10 million millennial caregivers in the U.S., 1 in 6 at an average age of 27—is caring for someone living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia according to a recent report from UsAgainstAlzheimer’s and the Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging at the University of Southern California. Understanding the challenges that millennial family caregivers face is critical given that the prevalence of Alzheimer’s and other dementias is expected to reach nearly 16 million by 2050. New policies and programming solutions like YouthCare will be needed to support this growing segment of the caregiver community.

 

“For families, caregivers, and society at large, Alzheimer’s and related dementias generate catastrophic healthcare, economic, and social impacts. We are thrilled that our close partner, The Youth Movement Against Alzheimer’s, has received this boost from LA2050,” said Jason Resendez, Chief of Staff of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. “While patients and caregivers continue to wait for a cure to this devastating disease, we are inspired that YMAA is bringing much needed energy and new ideas to the fight against Alzheimer’s and dementia.”

 

UsAgainstAlzheimer’s recently hosted its 5^th Annual National Alzheimer’s Summit in Washington, DC where leading experts, policymakers and advocates came together to identify common goals, link partners and unite communities in the fight against Alzheimer’s. YMAA sent more than 20 young advocates to the event, where they passionately shared their personal connections to the disease as family members and caregivers. One of the most anticipated and well-received panels was entitled “The Last Generation: A Dialogue on Intergenerational Caregiving and Advocacy.” Presented by AARP, the discussion highlighted efforts to address the Alzheimer’s challenge through youth-focused solutions such as YouthCare.

###

The Youth Movement Against Alzheimer’s is the nation’s leading nonprofit in providing opportunities for high school and college students to volunteer, research, and advocate for this disease. The organization envisions a culture where youth embrace aging and alleviate the impact of Alzheimer’s. www.theyouthmovement.org/

###

Founded in 2010, UsAgainstAlzheimer's (UsA2) is an innovative non-profit organization demanding —and delivering — a solution to Alzheimer's. Driven by the suffering of millions of families, UsAgainstAlzheimer's presses for greater urgency from government, industry and the scientific community in the quest for an Alzheimer's cure — accomplishing this through effective leadership, collaborative advocacy, and strategic investments.

###

At the Goldhirsh Foundation, (www.goldhirshfoundation.org), we connect the dots between the best emerging innovations and the financial, social, and human capital to make them thrive. LA2050 (www.la2050.org) is an initiative to create a shared vision for the future of Los Angeles, and to drive and track progress toward that vision.