Unique Programs that Support Caregivers of People with Dementia 

Episode Description:  

November commemorates both National Family Caregivers Month and Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, a special time to support and honor the unique challenges faced by family caregivers of older adults with dementia. In today’s episode, we talk with two dynamic and dedicated project directors from the Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation on Long Island who will discuss their roles in innovative and highly successful community programs serving family caregivers by connecting them with a circle of help that includes trained volunteers who provide an array of respite services. Dawn Hagen is Program Director of the Parker’s Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Initiative and Carmen Quinones is Program Director of the Hope and Healing Program. Dawn will describe how the Caregiver Support Initiative—as part of Parker’s “Willing Hearts, Helpful Hands” program—reaches out to family caregivers of a relative who may be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, providing an array of services, including free family consultations, caregiver education and training, support groups, caregiver companions, respite care and memory cafes. And Carmen will describe a new Parker program that supports the caregivers of older adults with dementia and a history of trauma, providing person-centered approaches and services that can help promote the health and wellbeing of this vulnerable population. Together, Dawn and Carmen exemplify the tireless dedication of those who provide much-needed support to family caregivers, especially those caring for loved ones with dementia. 

Guest Descriptions:

Carmen Quinones is the Program Director of the Hope and Healing Program at Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation. Carmen oversees and supervises departmental staff and assists with program development, planning and reporting of the Hope and Healing Program. Through the program she focuses on addressing the unique challenges faced by family caregivers of older adults with dementia and a history of trauma, by providing person-centered approaches and services that can help ameliorate these challenges and promote the health and wellbeing of this uniquely vulnerable population. Previously she served as Resident Manager for the Jewish Board of Family and Children Services in New York City and Program Manager for Youth and Education Services-Center Programs and Events for the LGBT Network in Hauppauge, N.Y. She earned a Master of Public Administration/Emergency and Disaster Management from Metropolitan College of New York in New York City.

Dawn Hagen is Program Director of the Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Initiative at the Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation. Dawn is a licensed social worker with over 20 years of experience in the field of geriatrics. She has dedicated her career to helping caregivers and families access community-based services and navigate the complex world of eldercare. Throughout her career, Dawn has worked in various non-profit organizations serving the Alzheimer’s community. She provided direct care to Alzheimer’s patients at Beth Abraham Adult Day Health Care Program, and worked with family caregivers at the Alzheimer’s Association, NYC and Long Island Chapters. She also served as a Social Work Consultant for Rockaway Manor Home Care in Far Rockaway and the New York Memory Center in Brooklyn. Dawn has been with Parker since the start of the Initiative in 2016, previously serving as Manager for Family Caregiver Services. she earned her Master’s degree in social work from Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University in 1999 and received her undergraduate degree from Hunter College in 1992.

Contacts:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dawn.hagen.52

     https://www.facebook.com/carmen.i.quinones.9

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-hagen-a457151a6/

                 https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmen-iris-quinones-986224a1/