 The Delaware Valley is home to at least
270,000 individuals afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease/dementia, more
than 10,000 of whom live in Burlington County. This only represents
the reported number and accounts only for the individual patients not
their spouses, children, grandchildren and other caregivers all of whom
are dramatically affected, most on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour basis.
If the current trend continues, statistics from the Mayo Clinic indicate
that the current number of people suffering from dementia will explode
from 4.5 million to more than 9 million by 2050.
The Tender has been providing care to frail seniors and persons with
Alzheimer’s disease/dementia in Burlington County NJ since 1977. Over
the past 30 years we have seen our population grow from a small group
of frail seniors looking for socialization to a group that is 95% dementia
oriented. The name, The Tender, refers to the small boat (a tender)
that ferries passengers from the shore to the waiting ship, a gentle
metaphor for the journey of aging. In addition, in 2001 we added a volunteer
based transportation program to provide rides for homebound seniors
to medical appointments and grocery shopping allowing them to remain
independent rather than be forced into institutions.
Most of our clients come from Burlington County with 98% living with
a family member. Many live with an elderly, ill spouse and most live
with adult children who have spouses and young children of their own.
This multigenerational living situation is stressful at best but with
the addition of advancing dementia, wandering and incontinence it quickly
becomes overwhelming. The Tender not only provides a safe, caring place
for the client but also a window of time free from worry for the caregiver.
The most recent problem we’ve confronted is caring for the caregivers.
We’ve established a new program, CARES (Compassion, Access, Respite,
Education & Support), which includes a support group that offers
care, information and education and allows caregivers to voice the overwhelming
issues they face on a daily basis; this interactive website and a lending
library with dementia specific resources.
Virtually all of our clients are at imminent risk of institutionalization
living on small fixed incomes, some with family and some alone. Our
day center provides approximately 20,000 hours of care each year and
our transportation program provides more than 100 trips each month.
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