WATCH: A free panel on Alzheimer’s disease preparedness in Pennsylvania

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters.

There are 280,000 people in Pennsylvania over the age of 64 living with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, and that number is expected to swell to 320,000 over the next four years.

Yet, few state-licensed eldercare facilities have dementia-specific accommodations, nursing homes are short-staffed, care costs are exceedingly high, and support is often incredibly thin, a recent Spotlight PA/ PublicSource investigation revealed.

The result, advocates warn, is a perfect storm of limited resources against soaring needs, with many giving Pennsylvania a failing grade on its efforts to prepare.

On Friday, Oct. 8 at noon, Spotlight PA held a free panel on Alzheimer’s disease preparedness in Pennsylvania and possible solutions.

Spotlight PA has also compiled a list of resources for people caring for others with dementia.

Family and caregiver resources

• Alzheimer’s Association’s 24/7 helpline: 1-800-272-3900

• Alzheimer’s Association’s Caregiver Resources

• The Pennsylvania Caregiver Support Program

• Pennsylvania’s Help at Home program, or OPTIONS, provides assistance to those 60 and up who want to stay in their home

• The University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s memory evaluation service

• UCLA Alzheimer and Dementia Care Program’s caregiver training videos

• Pitt’s Brite Wellness Program, which works to stimulate the brain and body of those with mild cognitive impairment

• Project Lifesaver is a service offered by law enforcement and emergency responders “to find citizens enrolled in the program when they become lost”

• Learn more about dementia disorders and Alzheimer’s disease by joining Pennsylvania’s Dementia Friends program

• Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 is a federally funded service that lets caregivers find resources in their area

• The Consumer Voice offers policy updates and resource information free of charge to residents of nursing homes and all consumers of long-term care services

• CAregivers REducing Stress (CARES) Meetup group offers a monthly space for non-professional caregivers of older adults to share experiences and advice

• The Pennsylvania Department of Aging’s list of caregiver resources and links includes online support groups, legal resources, and help finding coping strategies

• The New Ideas Study enlists volunteers to help study how amyloid PET brain scans help guide doctors in treating mild cognitive impairment

• Hope Grows is a non-profit offering counseling and support to caregivers

• Pennsylvania Area Agencies on Aging are important county-level conduits for aging-related services and programs

• PublicSource has a list of caregiver resources at the bottom of this article

Patient services and supports

• Find adult day services with the state’s online search tool

• Pennsylvania’s LIFE program helps older Pennsylvanians get care at home

• Find nearby home health agencies with Medicare’s Home Health Compare tool

Financial and legal resources

• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Managing Someone’s Money Toolkit offers help and guidance for financial caregivers

• SeniorLAWCenter can help with finding patient advocates, legal services, and financial supports: 1-877-727-7529

• The Thinking Ahead Roadmap offers a financial planning resource

• The Aging and Disability Unit of Community Legal Services offers free legal advice to seniors and their families

Other resources

• CARIE’S COVID-19 Nursing Home regulations

• Pennsylvania’s Long-term care council

• The Consumer Voice

WHILE YOU’RE HERE… If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.