Thank you,

Family Caregiver Alliance

Introducing new classes and webinars for family caregivers and providers: 

• Let's Get Away, Together! — Every Tuesday through March 14. Join us in this popular virtual travel series as we explore the Beatles' arrival in America, Mardi Gras, women in art, San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and more! Full info and registration here.

• 與您的醫生溝通的技巧 (How to Talk to Your Doctor) — February 10. In this ALL-NEW Cantonese-language class, participants will learn communication skills that will help them communicate with doctors and health care professionals. Full info and registration here; flyer here.

• Dementia 101 — February 22. This class provides a basic understanding of dementia and how it affects an individual, as well as tips for caregivers on how to cope with these changes. Save the date and stay tuned for full info and registration. 

• Tiene Que Haber Una Mejor Manera! (There Must Be a Better Way Than This!) — February 24. This Spanish-language workshop offers tips for understanding and communicating with someone affected by dementia. Full info and registration here. 

• (FOR PROVIDERS!) Paid Family Leave to Care for an Ill Loved One — What Health and Social Service Providers Need to Know to Support Family Caregivers — February 24. This webinar from Legal Aid at Work will walk through Paid Family Leave and related workplace leave laws that empower and equip you to advise family caregivers about their ability to take leave from work and receive income from California’s Paid Family Leave program while caring for a seriously ill loved one. Full info and registration here.

• Advance Care Planning (in Spanish) — March 15. This class covers the basics of this incredibly important health topic. Save the date and stay tuned for full info and registration.

• Legal Aid at Work Webinar (in Spanish) — March 23. This webinar from Legal Aid at Work will guide caregivers through the application process for Paid Family Leave and how to protect their job while taking leave to care for their loved ones, including tips on how to speak to their employer. Full info and registration here.

All classes are free. Bookmark our calendar to stay up to date on upcoming classes, webinars and events.

In celebration of the 15th year of the Innovations in Alzheimer’s Caregiving Awards, we are pleased to announce three winning organizations for 2022. The organizations below are recognized for delivering a state-of-the-art program that addresses the needs of caregivers and those they care for living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related condition. Each recipient will receive $20,000 for their work in the following categories:

Category: Creative Expression

• Amazing Grace Chorus — West Walker Academy — St. Paul, Minnesota
• Library Memory Project — Bridges Library System — Waukesha, Wisconsin

Category: Diverse/Multicultural Communities

• The Alter Program — Emory University School of Nursing — Atlanta, Georgia

Read all about the winning organizations and their programs here.

The Innovations in Alzheimer’s Caregiving Awards are supported by The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, Inc., and administered by FCA. Each year's awardees illustrate both the great value of community-based organizations’ innovative work in this area and also the lasting impact achieved by partners and funders working together to improve lives in new ways. 

In this recurring spotlight section, we’re pleased to highlight a round-up of local organizations serving family caregivers and their care recipients, low-income families and others in need. While we lack the space to highlight all the wonderful organizations doing incredible work in their communities, we hope you'll check out the below and add them to your client resources list or as potential organizational partners. These organizations are based in Contra Costa County—in future issues, we will share organizations serving other Bay Area counties:

• Area Agency on Aging — Partners with community organizations to increase accessibility of existing programs and develop new services to meet unmet needs of older adults.

• Brentwood Senior Activity Center — Offers a variety of classes for local seniors, including general and medical office skills, ESL and secondary education, as well as activity-based classes on a range of hobbies and passions.

• Choice in Aging — Provides a wide range of services, including adult day health care, home/community based complex care management for Medi-Cal and Medicaid recipients, as well as a variety of other services including transportation, caregiver support groups, community education and more.

• John Muir Community Health Fund — Partners with community-based nonprofits to create health initiatives that expand and enhance care services for those in need.



• Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa — In addition to their signature program supporting nutritionally at-risk seniors, Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa also offers caregivers services including support groups, case management and more.

• Pinole Senior Center — Provides social, educational, recreational, health, nutritional, and consumer services to older adults. From weight training and walking groups to guitar and dance classes, local seniors will find a range of services and activities.

To view organizations spotlighted in previous issues, please visit our Provider e-News Update archive (this spotlight section was launched in December, 2022). Have a recommendation of an organization you'd like to see highlighted? Send us an email!

We're pleased to share the latest evaluation report looking at the experiences, needs and demographics of California family caregivers and how the 11 Caregiver Resource Centers across the state are scaling technologies and tools to meet their needs. CareNav™, FCA's online tool for caregivers, has been key to the CRC system's ability to not only scale services for more caregivers in total, but to tailor support and resources to meet caregivers' specific needs. Check out the executive summary and full report here.

The California State Legislature has passed new laws, effective January 1, 2023, that impact caregivers across the state in the following areas:

• New Leave Benefit Options to Care for Chosen Family
• Designating Health Care Surrogates
• Probate Conservatorship Reforms
• Nursing Home Grievances
• Long Term Care Insurance Premiums
• Bereavement Leave

See summaries and links to full information here.

We respect your inbox, so we send our Provider e-News Update out every 1-2 months. But between issues, we are still hosting and sharing plenty of activities, classes, webinars and new resources for caregivers.

Stay in the know by following us on any or all of our social media channels — and be sure to share them with others who can benefit!

... and while you're here — sign up for our Connections e-newsletter (designed for family and friend caregivers), ¿Que Pasa? boletin (our e-newsletter for Spanish-speaking caregivers), and our Caregiving Policy Digest newsletter (caregiving policy at the local, national and international levels).