$45,000 Grant to Fund Web Site with Information and Graphics on Ways to Provide Better Home Care for Persons with Alzheimer's and Related Disorders
NEW YORK (March 21, 2007) — The NEC Foundation of America has awarded a $45,000 grant to the Division of Geriatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College to support the development of the Alzheimer's-Friendly Virtual Home, a unique and innovative Web site with graphics-rich information for caregivers on ways to best adapt a home for persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD), enhancing their safety and preserving their independence.
Most of the 4.5 million Americans with ADRD today are cared for at home, primarily by family members.
"Creating an Alzheimer's-friendly home with modifications to the kitchen, bathroom, stairs and more is one of the most important — and challenging — roles for the caregiver," says Rosemary Bakker, M.S., ASID, research associate in gerontologic design in medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Weill Cornell Medical College. "Properly adapting a home greatly improves the quality of life for a person with ADRD and eases the stress of caregiving. While there is already much written information available, caregivers have expressed a desire for an interactive Web site with 3-D animations, videos and written content to properly illustrate the complex process of changing the home to match the stage of the patient's disease. Thanks to grants, including from the NEC Foundation of America, we will meet this need by building the first Alzheimer's-Friendly Virtual Home."
The Web site is expected to go live in 2008.
In addition to the NEC Foundation grant, the Alzheimer's-Friendly Virtual Home is funded by a three-year grant from the Alzheimer's Association ($240,000), a grant from the Retirement Research Foundation ($204,200) and an award from the Helen Bader Foundation ($150,000).
For more information, patients may call (866) NYP-NEWS.
Weill Cornell Medical College
Weill Cornell Medical College — located in New York City — is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine. Weill Cornell, which is a principal academic affiliate of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, offers an innovative curriculum that integrates the teaching of basic and clinical sciences, problem-based learning, office-based preceptorships, and primary care and doctoring courses. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research in such areas as stem cells, genetics and gene therapy, geriatrics, neuroscience, structural biology, cardiovascular medicine, AIDS, obesity, cancer and psychiatry — and continue to delve ever deeper into the molecular basis of disease in an effort to unlock the mysteries behind the human body and the malfunctions that result in serious medical disorders. Weill Cornell Medical College is the birthplace of many medical advances — from the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer to the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., and most recently, the world's first clinical trial for gene therapy for Parkinson's disease. Weill Cornell's Physician Organization includes 650 clinical faculty, who provide the highest quality of care to their patients. For more information, visit www.med.cornell.edu.
NEC Foundation of America
NEC Foundation of America was established in 1991 and endowed at $10 million by NEC Corporation and its United States subsidiaries. Income generated by the endowment is donated to nonprofit organizations in the United States in support of programs with national reach and impact in the arena of assistive technology for people with disabilities. Through its grants, NEC Foundation of America underscores its philosophy of advancing society through technology and enabling individuals to realize their full potential. For more information, visit www.necfoundation.org.
Lezlie Greenberg
leg2003@med.cornell.edu