National Lutheran Awards First Grant to Diakon Adult Day Services
Rockville, MD (PRWEB) April 09, 2014 -- National Lutheran Communities & Services’ (NLCS) Community Impact Council awarded $15,000 to Diakon Adult Day Services at Ravenwood to provide expanded support to in-home caregivers. As one of two recipients, their Caregiver Support Initiative will be implemented in collaboration with local congregations, agencies and associations.
The Community Impact Program was established to enhance NLCS’ commitment to the greater community through working collaboratively with other organizations and continued efforts to enrich the lives of seniors. One component of the program is to provide grants through an advisory council that evaluates opportunities within Delaware-Maryland, Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and Virginia Synods. With thoughtful consideration of NLCS’ mission, Diakon Adult Day Services was an ideal choice.
“We’re delighted to award Diakon the opportunity to fulfill their initiatives in an area where the need for funding is significant,” NLCS’ Chief Philanthropy Officer Kathryn Baerwald said. “Their collaboration with various organizations aligns with our goal to multiply efforts throughout the greater community. That was a distinctive factor in their proposal and we’re enthusiastic that they will continue to have a positive impact on the lives of seniors.”
The Council has set an aggressive agenda for 2014, and they anticipate increasing grant funding each year as NLCS’ Community Impact Program continues to grow. Each grant is expected to produce models that can be used by congregations and other charitable organizations.
Diakon Adult Day Services’ Administrator Anne Dottavio explains the grant will benefit many seniors and support groups.
“Most of the funding is being spent on subsidizing the care of medical adult day services to provide respite for caregivers,” says Anne Dottavio, administrator of Diakon Adult Day Services and manager of the Ravenwood-based program. “In addition, we have four presentations scheduled at area caregiver support groups to educate participants on addressing the spiritual needs of caregivers; further, in partnership with the local Alzheimer’s Association, we will train area support-group leaders on the same topic at the group’s annual meeting.”
Grant funds, she adds, also will be used to provide chaplaincy presentations at a countywide caregiver support group, a caregiver resource guide for community groups, and quarterly ministry-led weeknight seminars with area congregations and synagogues on caring for aging parents.
About National Lutheran Communities & Services (NLCS)
Based in Rockville, Md., NLCS is a not-for-profit, faith-based ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA) Delaware-Maryland, Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and Virginia Synods, serving people of all beliefs. NLCS provides seniors with a variety of lifestyle, residential and health care options through retirement communities in Maryland and Virginia.
Other communities sponsored by NLCS include The Village at Rockville in Rockville, Md., a continuing care retirement community that offers independent living, rehabilitation, respite, assisted living, extended nursing care, hospice and coming soon, memory support; The Legacy at North Augusta in Staunton, Va., an independent living rental community offering assisted living services; The Village at Crystal Spring in Annapolis, Md., a new continuing care retirement community – subject to Maryland Department of Aging approval – which will serve as the centerpiece of a multi-generational residential and mixed-use project; The Village at Orchard Ridge in Winchester, Va., a new continuing care retirement community that opened in Feb. 2013. For more information about any of our communities, visit http://www.nationallutheran.org.
About Diakon Adult Day Services at Ravenwood
Located on the Ravenwood campus of Diakon Senior Living – Hagerstown, Diakon Adult Day Services at Ravenwood provides in-home caregivers with a respite during the weekdays, offering an environment in which participants benefit from activities, nursing care, and various amenities including medication management, nutritious meals, therapy and social service consulting. For more information, visit http://www.diakon.org/Adult-Day-Services/Ravenwood.
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Courtney Malengo, National Lutheran Communities & Services, http://www.nationallutheran.org, +1 (301) 354-2706, [email protected]
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