North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services

Project C.A.R.E. ("Caregiver Alternatives to Running on Empty") uses a family consultant model to provide consumer-directed respite care and comprehensive support to caregivers. The goal of the program is to increase quality, access, choice, and use of respite and support services for low-income rural and minority families caring for a person with dementia at home. Through the integration of dementia-capable services and the development of family-centered and caregiver-focused community care networks, Project C.A.R.E. helps create a seamless, coordinated delivery system that is responsive to the needs, values and preferences of Alzheimer’s families.

Project C.A.R.E. is administered through the Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) with expert consultation and technical assistance provided by the Duke Aging Center Family Support Program. Project C.A.R.E. is implemented at the local level through Family Consultants. The program is currently based within the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services, and local Area Agencies on Aging (Region B, Region N, and Region Q). The Project C.A.R.E. staff at Region B (based in Asheville) serves as the program's statewide training and technical assistance resource.

Project C.A.R.E. employs Family Consultants with expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. The Consultants visit the homes of referred or self-referred dementia caregivers in crises and offer timely, individualized assessment, guidance, counseling, support, advocacy, coaching and education. Their aim is to match families with the most appropriate and preferred local respite and community services tailored to their unique situation and needs. Through Project C.A.R.E., caregivers may spend up to $1,000 per year (reduced from $2,500 in previous years) toward respite services. Families are able to choose among a full continuum of consumer-directed care options, including adult day services, group respite, private or agency in-home care, and overnight residential respite.

There are currently five program sites set up to serve the following 36 counties:

1. Charlotte (Mecklenburg County)
2. Winston-Salem (Forsyth, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin)
3. Asheville (Avery, Buncombe, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania and Yancey)
4. Pembroke (Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Hoke, Robeson, and Scotland)
5. Washington (Beaufort, Bertie, Gates, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Northampton, Pitt and Washington)

National Program Recognition:

• 2008 National Program Champion – U.S. Administration on Aging



• 2005 National Best Practice Model for “Implementing Systems and Sustained Change in Long-Term Care” – U.S. Administration on Aging and RTI International



• 2005 National Innovative Program Clearinghouse Award – National Alzheimer’s Association



• 2005 National Model for Home and Community-Based Care Coordination – featured by the National Alzheimer’s Association at the Conference of State Legislators



• 2004 Geriatric Best Practice Award for “Developing Quality Caregiver Support and Respite Programs” – Southeast Regional Geriatric Best Practices Initiative

Project C.A.R.E. is primarily funded through State funds with supplemental funding provided by the federal Administration on Aging’s Alzheimer’s Disease Supportive Services Program. Project C.A.R.E. staff and partners are currently exploring options to expand Project C.A.R.E. into additional counties with the ultimate goal of statewide implementation. Additional funding is needed to support expansion efforts.

If you are interested in learning more about Project C.A.R.E. and/or providing support to expand this program, please contact Mark Hensley, State Project C.A.R.E. Director.

Project C.A.R.E. Publications:

• "Providing Dementia-Specific Services to Family Caregivers: North Carolina’s Project C.A.R.E. Program", Dr. Chris M. Kelly and Dr. Ishan Canty Williams, Journal of Applied Gerontology, Vol. 26 No. 4, August 2007.



• "Implementing Systems and Sustained Change in Long-Term Care: The Experience of Alzheimer’s Disease Demonstration Grants to States (ADDGS) Programs", AOA-ADDGS National Resource Center, RTI International, Executive Summary and Full Report



• "All on the Family: Informal Caregiving in America", Anne J. Tate, Masters Thesis, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, January 2005.



• "Dementia-Specific Respite: The Key to Effective Caregiver Support", North Carolina Medical Journal, Jan/Feb 2005.



• "Caregiver Alternatives to Running on Empty: Lessons for the Future": Duke Aging Center Family Support Program, Project C.A.R.E. Policy Paper, June 2004.



• Working with Family Caregivers of People with Memory Disorders: A North Carolina Information & Assistance Toolkit



• Dementia Caregiver Tips:


• Wait a Minute! : When Anger Gets too Much
• Hit Pause: Helping Dementia Families Deal with Anger
• Layout - Two pages 8-1/2 x 11
• Layout - Single page
• Holiday Tips


• Other Duke Family Support Program educational resources utilized by Project C.A.R.E:


• Home Is Where I Remember Things: A Curriculum for Home and Community Alzheimer Care
• Pressure Points: Alzheimer’s and Anger
• You Are One of Us: Successful Clergy/Church Connections to Alzheimer's Families
• Steps to Success: Decisions about Help at Home for Alzheimer’s Caregivers
• Caring for People with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Manual for Facility Staff

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Last updated February 11, 2013

Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias

NC Silver Alert Program

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