President & CEO
Dear Reader,
When our precious world is at its darkest, CaringKind is the lighthouse that continues to guide families throughout the Alzheimer’s or dementia caregiving journey. And with New York City being hit harder and earlier by Covid-19, CaringKind had the obligation to shine even more brightly. I believe we honored that obligation. But the work is far from over.
When tragedy strikes, our community — caregivers, donors, board, staff, partners, and volunteers — step up to help one another. (And yes, many of you hold more than one of those titles.) Our constituents support however they can, with words of encouragement or emotional support. We have witnessed families opening their hearts and volunteering their time to support our families and fundraise when they can. We have volunteers who have done whatever it takes, from leading support groups to stuffing envelopes.
As we close 2020, now is the perfect time to review who we are and what we’ve done in service of our mission — especially during this first year of Covid-19.
Here are some of our proudest accomplishments:
- Our trained dementia specialists answered 6,054 calls to our Helpline.
- We pivoted our 83 Support Groups from in-person to virtual platforms.
- Our African American, Chinese, Latinx, and Orthodox Jewish Outreach staff communicated with over 8,000 caregivers and provided tools and guidance.
- Our social workers held 746 counseling sessions with caregivers to help them manage complex dementia situations.
- We trained 123 homecare workers in English, Spanish, and Chinese to become more specialized in Dementia Care.
- We created Caregiver Champions, a platform that brings together family and professional caregivers for support, education, advocacy, and amplification.
These achievements are only possible with support from our donors.
And 99% of our revenue comes from private philanthropy — individuals, foundations, and corporate partners fund our life-saving work. It is particularly humbling to watch families continue to support CaringKind throughout this year. The empathy and kindness demonstrated by our caregiving families is remarkable, especially considering that some of these families have experienced tragedy from Alzheimer’s disease, Covid-19, or both. These acts of kindness during a very difficult time make one’s heart heavy and one’s eyes fill with bittersweet tears. That is what makes our community, and humankind itself, remarkable.
It’s always darkest before the dawn, and CaringKind will continue to be the beacon that guides the way. And there are other reasons to be hopeful, including the news that an effective vaccine is on the way. No matter what, I believe that we will be stronger in the end — as an organization, as a community, and as caregivers.
Until then, we focus on the people who need us the most. To remain focused, I start each workday by reading our mission:
To create, deliver, and promote comprehensive and compassionate care and support services for individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research.
Thank you for being a part of the caregiving community. I wish you, your family, and friends good health, happiness, and prosperity this holiday season and the forthcoming year. And if you need any help, we’re just a phone call away.
Sincerely,
