Please be our guest as we take time to thank, support, educate, and celebrate the more than 850,000 family caregivers in Alabama at our annual "Salute to Caregivers."   The event will be held on October 23, 2012 from 10:00am to 12:00 Noon at the Montgomery Advertiser Freedom Room -- 425 Molton Street, Montgomery, AL 36104.

The Lakeshore Foundation serves people with physical disabilities through exercise, recreation, and sport.  Their new Fall 2012 Brochure provides information on daily programing such as swimming classes, as well as athletic teams and special events.  Super Saturdays and Mini Super Saturdays are designed to teach children about adaptive sports, games, and team building.  There is also a Winter Day Camp for ages 6 to 18 during winter break!  Visit www.lakeshore.org for more information.

Alabama Respite is pleased to announce that the results are in from a survey of Alabama Family Caregivers conducted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and its Center for Educational Accountability (CEA) as part of a contract with Alabama Department of Senior Services (ADSS).  The results of this survey reveal current services and unmet needs for caregiver respite.

877 caregivers completed a Survey of Family Caregivers about Respite Services.  Caregivers in this survey noted several important ways that respite helps their families, including: Attending to Family Caregiver’s Needs; Helping with Activities of Daily Living; Caring for Others in the Family; Providing Financial Assistance to Pay for Respite; and Caregiver Continuing Education. One caregiver noted in the survey, “Without respite services, I would be in a mental hospital and my family would have fallen apart. My respite caregiver is a lifesaver and she loves my child.”

Governor Robert Bentley has appointed new members to the Alabama Lifespan Respite Coalition. For more information, please click on tab above, "Alabama Respite Coalition".