Announcing Maude’s Awards Winners for 2021

Wednesday – Sept. 15th, 2021 – 2pm EDT, 1pm CDT, 12pm MDT, 11am PDT & 7pm London BST, 8pm South Africa SAST, and on the 16th at 4am in Australia AEST

MAUDE’S AWARDS: RECOGNIZING INNOVATION IN ALZHEIMER’S AND DEMENTIA CARE

The 2nd Annual Maude’s Award Recipients are announced today. Three organizations will each receive $25,000 and five individuals will receive $5,000 each.

Maude’s Awards was created to enrich the quality of life for persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their care partners. It provides monetary awards to organizations and individuals for innovations excelling in one of the categories of care The Awards – Maude’s Awards (maudesawards.org)

Those Categories in which winners will be awarded are:

Making Connections – Connecting people with dementia to the world and people around them

Supporting Care Partners – Providing education, training or support for care partners of persons living with dementia. 

Check Out The Two Shows Below to Learn More – You Can Watch the video Interviews or Listen to the Radio Show

Click Below to Watch the Organizational Winners

Lori La Bey will be talking with Marilyn Raichle, who is the Executive Director Maude’s Awards and we will talking with one of the winners of Maude’s Award, Eyleen Braaten, representingGiving Voice. 

Marilyn has lived the journey of being a care partner for her parents, both of whom were developing Alzheimer’s Disease.  In 2015, inspired by her mother’s newfound artistic ability, she founded The Art of Alzheimer’s, celebrating the creativity of persons living with dementia and the power of the creative arts to enrich and empower their lives.

Eyleen joined Giving Voice in 2017 and has been instrumental in the growth of the organization. Since becoming Executive Director in 2021, Eyleen’s focus has been on creating unique and innovative opportunities to expand the Giving Voice mission across the world while keeping our local choruses strong. Eyleen believes that music is an expression of our humanity and connects us all. 

$25,000 Organizational Winners

Opening Minds Through Art (Oxford, OH) – Making Connections Category

            Giving Voice Initiative (Bloomington, MN) – Making Connections Category

            Duet: Partners In Health & Aging (Phoenix, AZ) – Supporting Care Partners Category

Click Below to Watch the Individual Winners

Our Host, Lori La Bey will be talking with Our Host, Lori La Bey will be talking with Marilyn Raichle, who is the Executive Director Maude’s Awards, and we will talking with two of the winners of Maude’s Awards as individuals who won $5,000, each; Laurette Klier the Founder of Nana’s Books Series, and Carol B. Amos the founder of the Caregiver Principal.

Marilyn has lived the journey of being a care partner for her parents, both of whom were developing Alzheimer’s Disease.  In 2015, inspired by her mother’s newfound artistic ability, she founded The Art of Alzheimer’s, celebrating the creativity of persons living with dementia and the power of the creative arts to enrich and empower their lives.

Laurette Klier is a Certified Dementia Practitioner and holds a Master’s and Undergraduate Degrees from Boston College.  She is an Aetna fellow through the National Writing Project with a focus on creating literacy environments in underserved communities, she is an advocate for compassionate care initiatives for seniors and created Nana’s Books to engage and delight people living with dementia and their car partners.

Carol B. Amos developed the “Caregiver Principal” which reflects her passion to help dementia caregivers.  She cared for her mother for over 11 years. Carol shares insights in her book helping caregivers thrust into this role.   Her book is called â€śH.O.P.E. for the Alzheimer’s Journey: Help, Organization, Preparation, and Education for the Road Ahead.”

$5,000 Individuals Winners

Fayron Epps (Atlanta, GA) – Making Connections Category

Diana Blackwelder (Washington DC) – Making Connections Category

Laurette Klier (Lyme, CT) – Making Connections Category

Mary Beth Riedner (Elgin, IL) – Making Connections Category

Carol B. Amos (Hockessin, DE) – Supporting Care Partners

ORGANIZATIONAL WINNERS

Opening Minds Through Art

scrippsoma.org

Opening Minds through Art (OMA) is an evidence-based, intergenerational art program for people living with dementia that has been replicated in over 200 communities in North America. OMA provides those living with dementia opportunities to connect with students and to experience joy through creative explorations. These opportunities include weekly intergenerational abstract art-making sessions pairing nursing home residents with students, and Zoom sessions that connect college students with people living with dementia and their caregivers.

Director of OMA Elizabeth “Like” Lokon, Ph.D., said, “OMA is honored to be selected for this award. This prize will help us develop a web-based application of OMA that we are calling ScrippsAVID (Arts-based, Virtual, Intergenerational, and Dementia-friendly) so that we can reach more people and continue to build intergenerational friendships through art-making.”

Giving Voice Initiative

Giving Voice Chorus

Giving Voice Initiative (GVI) is a nonprofit that inspires and equips organizations to bring together people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias (AD) and their care partners, to sing in choruses that foster joy, well-being, purpose and community understanding. GVI empowers chorus members to develop their musical capabilities while fostering a community of people on their journey with AD. Chorus Members gather weekly for rehearsals learning and practicing songs in multi-part harmony with skills encouraging repetition & recall. Rehearsals are also a time for social connection. They help singers improve confidence, memory and mood. Chorus members sing with a care partner, creating a positive experience for both.

Duet: Partners In Health & Aging

www.duetaz.org

Finding Meaning and Hope is Duet’s free video discussion program for family members caring for someone with Alzheimer’s/related dementia. The program gathers care partners in person or online for 10 weekly sessions led by a trained volunteer facilitator. Finding Meaning and Hope teaches care partners effective strategies for managing their ongoing stress and grief, while building resiliency and restoring meaning and hope in their lives. Duet celebrates its 40-year anniversary this year as a partner in health and aging though its vitally needed, free-of-charge services to homebound adults, family caregivers, faith communities, and grand families.

“We are so honored to receive this award. These funds will truly go far to bring Finding Meaning and Hope’s critical support to dementia family caregivers across the nation,” said Duet Executive Director Ann Wheat.

INDIVIDUALS

Fayron Epps – For Alter

Alter Dementia

Alter is the only nurse-led dementia-friendly initiative to support African American congregations. The Alter program was designed to build resources and awareness around dementia in African American and faith communities. The program partners with churches over a two-year period to develop a supportive environment that enhances the well-being of African American families affected by dementia. The program offers education programs and a personalized toolbox for all church partners with information, materials, and resources to support dementia-friendly communities. Through working with African American churches, we hope to reduce dementia stigma, enhance empathy, create resource centers, increase awareness, and maintain social and spiritual connectedness. There is no cost for churches to participate in this program.

Diana Blackwelder – Advocating for policy changes and other means for those living with dementia to live better

“I live alone with Young-Onset Alzheimer’s and continue to learn and develop ways to continue to thrive as my brain and abilities change since diagnosed in 2017 at age 57. I collaborate, teach, and advocate globally, nationally and locally towards empowering others to maintain their autonomy, dignity, connectivity and self-worth. I use a unique introspective process to develop material that helps others gain insights into their own or their loved one’s experience with the disease.”

A dementia diagnosis leaves most with a sense of loss, hopelessness and fear. The internet is full of horror stories. By publicly sharing my life experiences and lessons learned including the good and the bad post diagnosis helps to put others fears at ease.

Through Federal and Local government agencies I have impacted the passage of significant legislation that facilitates improving the lives of those living with and supporting people living with dementia to include securing a permanent Dementia Services Coordinator in the DC Government.

Laurette Beth Riedner – Nana’s Books

Nana’s Book Series

Laurette Klier, a former educator, was frustrated by the lack of quality materials with which to engage her mother-in-law Mary, 89, who was living with Lewy body dementia in memory care. “FaceTime visits were tremendously challenging for us, as there was little we could converse about due to her total loss of short-term memory. Once an avid reader, the re-purposed children’s books available only added to her frustration and left her dispirited. When I realized that conversations about her past lit her up and brought her joy, I decided to use nostalgic texts and images to create books to meet her where she was now; in her mind’s eye.”  Klier subsequently created sixteen large print books of nostalgic classics (poetry, praise, proverbs, patriotism and prose) to fill the gap for her mother-in-law, and now, the wider dementia community.NANA’S BOOKS are the only inclusive books available for people living with dementia and their care partners and include titles for veterans, BIPOC Communities and non-denominational communities of faith.

Mary Beth Riedner – For Tales & Travel Adventures (T&TA)

Tales and Travel

“Through my 10-year journey as a caregiver for my husband, I was inspired to bring my first book and reading program to those living with dementia at a local memory care facility in IL. Tales & Travel Memories (T&TM) program takes residents of memory care facilities in IL and Memory Café participants in AZ on imaginary trips to another country or part of the US using library materials. With the pandemic, I adapted the program into an online series called Tales & Travel Adventures (T&TA). The series simulates real time trips to locations I have visited over the past few decades. Participants are invited to read aloud a simple narrative that accompanies photos from each destination. Other literacy activities such as reading poems, singing and playing word games are incorporated into the programs. This interactive program can be easily replicated on almost any topic.”

Carol B. Amos – For The Caregiving Principle®

Carol B. Amos

The Caregiving Principle®, introduced in 2018, is a novel approach to caregiving. It states: Needs of the Loved One minus Needs Filled by the Loved One equals Needs to Be Filled by the Caregiver(s) The loved one has needs and will be able to meet some of his needs. The unfilled needs define the role of the caregivers. As the disease progresses the loved one will be unable to fulfill as many needs therefore increasing the role of the caregivers. The needs are defined using Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization. Some benefits of The Caregiving Principle®: • Focuses on the needs of the person with dementia, • Encourages caregivers to maximize the ability of their loved one by seeking appropriate medical care for physical and cognitive issues, • Improves interactions with the loved one, • Encourages caregivers to proactively prepare for the increase need for care.

Maude’s Awards was created in 2019 by Richard Ferry in honor of his beloved wife of 65 years.  In 2013, Maude was diagnosed with dementia. Now as a loving care partner and tireless advocate, Richard continues their journey together by discovering and sharing innovations that speak to the challenges and needs of persons living with dementia and their care partners.

Maude’s Awards are for achievement, as opposed to grants for future programs.  The intent of Maude’s Awards is to reward programs that have demonstrated success.  The nominated program must have been active in 2020 or the year prior. If the program is currently active or recurring, it must have completed 1 year of operation, or enough time to demonstrate success.

For more information, visit:  

https://maudesawards.org/2021-awardees/

Listen to the Radio Shows Below

Click Below to Listen to the Organizational Winners

Click Below to Listen to the Individual Winners

All Shows are Archived

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Dementia Chats is a series of video conversations where we talk with the true experts on dementia, those living with a diagnosis. Lori La Bey, founder of Alzheimer’s Speaks facilitates a conversation and is amazed by every conversation what she learns about life with dementia. She encourages everyone not only to watch these videos, but to include those living with dementia in conversations and to listen closely to their insights. They know dementia better than anyone.

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