Caregivers Community Network Earns National Award

The Caregivers Community Network at James Madison University has been honored with the National Family Caregiving Award by the National Alliance for Caregiving.
The CCN, a grant-funded outreach program of the Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services at JMU, was one of seven national winners recognized by the NAC and MetLife Foundation. The awards are given to community-based programs supporting family caregivers of older adults, rewarding innovation, effectiveness and responsiveness to caregiver needs.

CCN, founded in 2001 and partially funded through grants from the Virginia Department for the Aging and the United Way of Virginia, recruits and trains students and members of the community to assist families that are caring for frail or disabled older adults.
CCN partners with JMU nursing faculty to offer carefully coordinated support to family caregivers who live with and/or care for frail elders and persons with dementia in a four-county area. CCN serves many isolated rural families who have limited external support. Caregivers typically are immediate family members of the frail elder or person with dementia. About 70 percent of clients have Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia and 80 percent of caregivers are female spouses.

Services offered by CCN include in-home respite and companion care; and information and social support for caregivers. Students who work in the program earn course credit.