Grants will support people with dementia, those who care

The Minnesota Board on Aging recently awarded a $72,900 grant to A.C.E. of Southwest Minnesota to support its ongoing efforts to educate the public about dementia in its seven county service area.
Linda Wenzel coordinates Rock County aging and volunteer services for A.C.E. and said the money will support the recently launched Dementia Network in Rock County.
“We need to work together as a community to collaborate and get more accomplished,” Wenzel said. “I just feel like we are really blessed to have this opportunity.”
Specifically, the grant funds will support ongoing training, virtual aging and dementia experience trainings and dementia-specific educational plays in southwest Minnesota.
The point, Wenzel said, is to increase public awareness of dementia, promote benefits of early detection and connect care partners with services.
According to the Minnesota Board on Aging, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia affect a large and growing number of Minnesotans, and the grant funds are targeted for programs that help.
A.C.E. is one of 11 organizations that received $750,000 in grants to help meet the needs of both individuals with dementia and those who care for them.
The funds were appropriated by the Legislature and awarded by the Minnesota Board on Aging.
“These funds support not only people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia but their family and friends, who play such a critical role in caregiving,” said Kari Benson, executive director of the Minnesota Board on Aging.
“Alzheimer’s alone impacts some 91,000 Minnesotans over age 65, a number that continues to grow, and more than 254,000 people who provide care informally.”
Wenzel can be reached at the ACE, 507-283-5064 or ace.rock@co.rock.mn.us