Family Hospice is partnering with the Georgia chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association to enhance dementia care and patient and family education.

The two organizations are planning an upcoming statewide initiative in Georgia designed to improve awareness and support. Both organizations will share educational materials at community events and through social media.

“Our goal is simple: to make sure families living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias have the information, support and care they need — when they need it most,” Paige Powell, sales support manager for Family Hospice, told Hospice News in an email. “We want families to feel empowered, informed and supported, especially when facing difficult decisions about end-of-life care.”

 Family Hospice was founded three years ago and currently offers locations in both Georgia and South Carolina.

The hospice and the Alzheimer’s Association will co-host educational events, offer caregiver support resources and raise awareness. Family Hospice provides specialized knowledge in dementia-specific hospice care, while the Alzheimer’s Association offers deep community connections, research-based education and advocacy experience, according to Powell.

“Through our partnership, we are creating a stronger safety net for our community, because no one should walk this journey alone,” Powell said. “We’re neighbors taking care of neighbors.”

Dementia services are among the most common disease-specific programs emerging from home health and hospice providers, driven by the rising incidence of dementia-related diagnoses.

More than 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, with that number expected to nearly double by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

In 2022, senile degeneration of the brain was the most frequently occurring diagnosis among Medicare decedents who elected the hospice benefit. This was followed closely by Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s with late onset was the fourth most common diagnosis, according to the National Alliance for Care at Home.

“As the population ages and people are living longer, the numbers of families affected by dementia is on the rise,” Jill S. Disney, senior director of programs and services at the Alzheimer’s Assocation, told Hospice News in an email. “That makes this partnership so very important. It’s vital for us to be able to let our communities know that they are not alone and that there are great resources and support available. Again, we can do more together; we can make a bigger impact when we work as a team.”