Programs & Services
All of our services are free and funded in part by the Hudson County Office on Aging, the Hudson County Office of Inclusion and Accessibility, the Bergen County Division of Senior Services, the Essex County Division of Senior Services, and Community Development and Services Block Grants.
Cognitive Assessments
Early diagnosis allows individuals to better prepare for their future care, make treatment and end-of-life decisions, and establish legal and financial plans while cognitively capable. The screening, which usually takes 1-2 hours, consists of a survey, an intake interview with the person potentially living with Alzheimer's and the caregiver, and a follow-up interview. Memory screenings are used as a first-step indicator of whether a person might benefit from an extensive medical exam with a healthcare professional.
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Cognitive assessments can take place in our office or in-home for those who are frail or homebound. If you are hoping to coordinate a Memory Screening event, the Alzheimer's Early Detection Project can be hosted at a community center, public housing facility, place of worship, nursing center, daycare facility, health fair, or other venue.
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Program funded in part by the Hudson County Office on Aging and
the Bergen County Division of Senior Services.
Support/Crisis Management
Our Alzheimer's and Dementia Support Solutions focus on the emotional well-being of caregivers. Our Caregiver Support Groups are divided into 4 intervals which target the educational, emotional, and social requirements of the participants. The first segment is organized as a friendly meet and greet where members can socialize and meet new members. The next period is dedicated to creating emotional connections through support round tabling which includes discussions about experiences, feelings, and relationships. Next, the group will receive advice, resources and practical information, and education specific to the issues presented. The session concludes with planned interactive activities. Customizing a support solution maximizes the chance that individuals will get the right help, minimizes depression and anxiety, and reduces caregiver burnout.
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Funded in part by the Hudson County Office of Inclusion & Accessibility, the Hudson County Office on Aging, and the Bergen County Division of Senior Services.
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Education
The Alzheimer's Prevention Education Project aims to help community members understand the ways in which dementia progressively affects the cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and performance-based capacities of those whom it afflicts. It teaches individuals strategies for dealing with those disabilities in personal and professional capacities, but it also coaches on how to develop highly individualized care strategies and how to modify or alter them as the disease progresses. The program also focuses on self-care, mobilizing family resources, and using community resources including Act Now Foundation virtual support groups. Additionally, the program touches on lifestyle changes that can help with dementia prevention.
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Training, coaching, and mentoring sessions will take place in Union City at the Dementia Resource Center of NJ or at your organization's venue of choice. Alternative arrangements will be made for caregivers that cannot leave the home as technology makes it possible to connect via telephone, Skype, Zoom, FaceTime, or Google Hangouts. Home visits will be arranged when caregiver technology is not an option.
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Program funded by the Hudson County Office on Aging, the Hudson County Office of Inclusion and Accessibility, the Bergen County Division of Senior Services, and the Essex County Division of Senior Services.
Long Term Care Planning
Those who receive a physician’s devastating Alzheimer’s diagnosis are often overwhelmed by the harsh realities that lie ahead. Alzheimer’s disease is progressive and terminal, therefore coping with it requires foresight and careful planning for the difficult years ahead.
The Alzheimer’s Care Project (ACP) will address questions and concerns of families overwhelmed by Alzheimer’s disease or related disorders in order to help alleviate the burden and increase the quality of life. This includes the provision of the A Step by Step Guide from Diagnosis to End of Life manual and Long Term Care Planning Sessions for managing an Alzheimer’s or related disorder diagnosis.​
The goal of the ACP is to give participants, who would not typically have the means or knowledge, access to a step-by-step guide and care planning session that will allow them to make their own medical and end-of-life decisions before it is too late. This program fills an existing service gap for individuals facing Alzheimer’s or related disorder diagnosis.
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Program funded in part by the Community Development and Services Block Grants, the Ponce De Leon Foundation, and Healthier Jersey City.
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Approaching Dementia:
First Responders Training
The ability to respond to individuals with disabilities has posed varying challenges to officers across the country and high-profile cases have exposed the need for more involved awareness and education. At least 50% of a patrol officer's interactions involve an individual with a disability and they are most often the first to respond. It is imperative for law enforcement and first responders to recognize, identify and properly respond to characteristics typically displayed by individuals with disabilities such as dementia and autism. As the population increases and more individuals are active in the community, the need to ensure an accurate and appropriate response is critical.
The First Responders Training is available to all counties in the state of New Jersey, however specifically in Hudson County, Act Now Foundation has been awarded a 3-year Consultant contract to provide disability awareness training to First Responders under the Kevin and Avonte Program: Reducing Injury and Death of Missing Individuals with Dementia and Developmental Disabilities. Act Now Foundation will provide training sessions and outreach kits to law enforcement personnel and first responders so each party will have the skills and tools necessary to execute de-escalation when encountering individuals with disabilities. The goal of the program is to prevent wandering, increase individuals' safety, and facilitate rescues. Therefore, reducing the number of deaths and injuries of individuals with forms of Dementia such as Alzheimer's Disease or developmental disabilities such as autism.
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To schedule a First Responders Training, please contact our
President & Co-Founder Kristine Allen at 201-721-6721 or kallen@actnowfoundation.org
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Program funded in part by the Hudson County Office of Inclusion & Accessibility.
Advocacy & Outreach
We are extremely involved in the community and have been providing education and support services for seniors of low-income communities in New Jersey for the last six years. As a grass-roots organization, the Foundation has collaborated with local Health & Human Services, Hospitals, Senior Centers, Housing Authority, and Adult Day-Care Facilities in order to provide educational workshops, support groups to low-income elderly, and community outreach. The Foundation’s programs are developed as a comprehensive, community-based service with a special emphasis on older individuals with the greatest economic or social need, particularly for low-income minorities.
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Act Now Foundation co-wrote two laws addressing Alzheimer's disease in the State of NJ in 2016. The first law mandates that Alzheimer's disease be listed as a cause of death on death certificates (when applicable), which ensures an accurate count of those loved ones who pass away from Alzheimer's disease; because numbers matter. The second law increases the scope of training for New Jersey's Home Health Care Aides; ensuring that they are properly trained to take care of loved ones afflicted with Alzheimer's or related dementias.
Act Now Foundation is available for guest speaking, health fairs, community events, fundraisers, walk-a-thons, and general outreach.
Bergen County Dementia Friendly Initiative
Bergen County is home to approximately 20,000 older adults who live with dementia. In response to the challenges faced by this growing population, the Bergen County Division of Senior Services (DSS) and Act Now Foundation have partnered to join Dementia Friendly America (DFA) and establish Bergen County Dementia Friendly Initiative.
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What is a dementia friendly community?
It is a community that is taking action to foster quality of life for people living with dementia and their care partners by decreasing stigma, increasing opportunities for meaningful social interaction, and offering support in addressing the changing needs of people living with dementia.
Virtual Dementia Tour
The Virtual Dementia Tour® (VDT®) is a scientifically proven method that builds sensitivity and awareness in individuals caring for those with dementia. This evidence-based program gives a person with a healthy brain an experience of what dementia might be like. By understanding dementia from the person’s point of view, we can improve infrastructure and services, reduce challenges and enrich lives. Our Certified Trainers guide participants, fitted with patented devices that alter their senses, through common everyday tasks and exercises. This simulation enables participants to experience real life scenarios, including the physical and psychological challenges people living with dementia face, and use this experience to inform person centered care. Geriatric specialist P.K. Beville authored and created the VDT as her post-graduate work. This patented program offers hope by providing practical ways to create an environment that supports the disease and increases understanding.
The Act Now Foundation is certified by Second Wind Dreams to provide Virtual Dementia Tours. This Tour is ideal for nursing homes, first responders, medical and health care workers, family caregivers, home health care aides, or any individual connected to a loved one who has dementia.
