CareLink Caregiver Support Grant (CLOSED)
Through Federal Title III funds, CareLink (the Central Arkansas Area Agency on Aging) has chosen our organization to distribute grants throughout the six counties in their service area:
- Pulaski
- Saline
- Monroe
- Prairie
- Lonoke
- Faulkner
Respite care is for providing the caregiver a break. This is a reimbursement grant that family caregivers can apply every 6 months from a prior approval date, as long as funds are available.
Grant funds cannot be used as self-payment to the family caregiver to provide care to the patient.
CareLink Grant Details
The care recipient (patient) must:
• Be 60 years of age or older with a diagnosis of any form of dementia or chronic illness that requires a caregiver
• Live in the Pulaski, Saline, Monroe, Prairie, Lonoke or Faulkner county
This is a reimbursed grant. You will need to submit a log showing you have already paid a caregiver for services for the grant check to be sent to you as reimbursement. Grant check payments can also be sent directly to individuals, care providers. Grant check payments can also be paid directly to care providing companies through invoices billing for payment of respite care services.
All fields on the application must be completed, signed and include the doctor’s diagnosis letter on the professional’s stationary or prescription pad stating the patient requires daily assistance, or it will be denied and returned delaying approval. It can take up to 10 business days to process the application. An eligible application does not guarantee approval.
The grant will not be effective until after you receive an approval letter from Alzheimer’s Arkansas – no services will be paid prior to the approval date. After the grant is approved, you will have 3 months or until June 1 (whichever comes first) to use the funds.
This grant does not pay the caregiver to take care of the care recipient (patient). The caregiver must hire a care provider, an individual over 18 years old who does not live with the patient, or an agency that will provide the care or services for the patient. The date of service cannot be before your approval date which is indicated on your approval letter.
The approval letter will include a Respite Log to complete and return. Use the log to record the date of service, number of hours, and the hourly rate agreed upon by the caregiver and care provider(s). Please complete a separate service log if more than one care provider is used. Please read the respite log and follow directions carefully. All information must be filled out and the log(s) signed by both the caregiver and care provider. You will have to include a copy of the care provider’s driver’s license or state-issued ID as well. If you hire an agency to provide respite service, they can submit an invoice for payment. Make sure the “Make Check Payable To” line on the paperwork has the information on who is to receive payment, whether the caregiver is being reimbursed or the care provider is being paid directly.
***Failure to complete grant funding and returning the grant respite log will result in the loss of eligibility for all future grants offered by Alzheimer’s Arkansas for the caregiver AND care recipient (patient) associated with the grant.***
Funding for this program is provided by the Older Americans Act, National Family Caregiver Support Program, Title IIIE Funds. These funds were awarded to CareLink (the Central Arkansas Area Agency on Aging) for distribution throughout the six counties in their service area (Pulaski, Saline, Monroe, Prairie, Lonoke and Faulkner) and are administered by Alzheimer’s Arkansas Programs and Services.
Alzheimer’s Arkansas does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in employment or the provision of services.
