Memory Care Academy of Austin
Debbie Wilder
Memory Caregiver Academy of Austin
History of the Gathering at WHPC
• Formed in 2001, and started the week after 911.
• I was the volunteer director of the Gathering until 2021. During the pandemic the Gathering had to shut it’s doors to in person get togethers, and the assistant director of the Gathering at the time (LuCinda Chiles) led a wonderful group of volunteers in doing home deliveries of treats each week, as well as a weekly Zoom meeting for caregivers and participants at the Gathering.
• Calls began from caregivers looking for help at home with their family members.
• Research began into availability of trained professional caregivers.
Quick Facts on Dementia from Alzheimer’s Association
• More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. By 2050, this number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million.
• 1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
• Over 11 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementia’s.
• In 2022, unpaid caregivers provided an estimated 18 billion hours of care valued at $339.5 billion.
• Between 2020 and 2030, 1.2 million additional direct care workers will be needed to care for the growing population of people living with dementia—the largest worker gap in the US.
Quick Facts on Dementia from Alzheimer’s Association
• More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. By 2050, this number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million.
• 1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
• Over 11 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementia’s.
• In 2022, unpaid caregivers provided an estimated 18 billion hours of care valued at $339.5 billion.
• Between 2020 and 2030, 1.2 million additional direct care workers will be needed to care for the growing population of people living with dementia—the largest worker gap in the US.
Caregiver Statistics
• The demand for direct care workers (roles such as nurse aides and home health aides) is projected to grow by more than 40% between 2016 and 2026, while their availability is expected to decline.
• Turnover rates for direct care workers are high--estimated at 64% annually for those providing home care and 99% for nursing assistants in nursing homes.
• In Texas, there are 333 geriatricians in 2021
• Needs to increase by 276.9% to meet demand in 2050
• 320,780 home health and personal care aides in TX in 2020
• Needs to increase by 30.5% to meet increased demand in 2030.
Memory Caregiver Academy of Austin
• Mission Statement:
• Memory Caregiver Academy of Austin (MCAAustin) strives to identify, expertly train, and send out young people graduating from high school to be qualified, competent, and compassionate caregivers for elderly people with dementia, helping them to age in place.
• Our Vision:
• All Central Texas seniors with a dementia diagnosis, regardless of their socioeconomic status, who are trying to age in place will have access to expertly trained caregivers, who understand and are able to handle the difficult issues associated with these diseases.
MCAAustin was started in 2022
• MCAAustin started in fall of 2021 at Travis High School in east Austin with 11 students.
• Travis High’s GPA program
• CareAcademy’s online program for certification was purchased to train students
• WHPC has been an amazing partner in helping us to get started before our nonprofit status came through (May 2022) via the Austin Ed Fund
• 3 of our 6 board members are WHPC members: Debbie Wilder, Todd Wehner, Genie Nyer
• A number of our key volunteers are WHPC members; ( Lorraine Harbo {artistic therapy specialist}, Susan Haas {harpist, music therapist, general volunteer with students}, Margie Christian (pet therapy), Mary Sue Clyne {advisory committee}
Highlights from 2022
• In 2022, 11 students received certifications from MCAAustin in dementia care
• 8 out of the 11 students went to work in memory care facilities in South Austin
• 1 student from Nepal has gone on to nursing school
Moving Forward
- Plans to add a third school in 2023/2024 . Austin Achieve Public School, which is a charter school. CEO John Armbrust grew up at WHPC.
- Plans to establish a new video series designed to train 17,18 year old students. We are collaborating with an assistant professor at UT’s Dell Medical School.
- We’ve also collaborated with Holocene Productions to film the videos.
- Planning to use the videos to train students in many high schools in low-income areas of Austin. Planning to train volunteers to act as people with dementia to interact with students
- Just like the Gathering, we are changing as we move forward and learn what works best. The Gathering continued to change over the 20 years that I was associated with it, and today it continues to be a blessing to families trying to keep their loved ones with dementia at home.
- MCAAustin has been blessed in so many ways by WHPC, in prayer, in donations, and in volunteer contributions. We would certainly appreciate prayers that God reaches out to the right students, who in turn will be blessings to people in Austin with dementia.