An integral part of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health’s mission is supporting caregivers.

The Center’s Family Support Program consists of a six-session counseling program based on the New York University Caregiver Intervention (NYUCI). The intervention helps those caring for a spouse with memory loss to better understand the disease, handle challenging situations and access available resources. It has been proven to:

• Reduce symptoms of depression in caregivers
• Improve physical health of the caregiver
• Increase caregiver coping skills
• Improve social support for the caregiver
• Delay placement of an Alzheimer’s patient in a nursing facility by an average of one and a half years, which can save a family an average of $90,000.

The Ruvo Center has worked closely with NYUCI developer Dr. Mary Mittelman to adapt the program while remaining faithful to the original model. The Ruvo Center is piloting the use of video technology as a means of providing assistance to caregivers and family members living in rural communities statewide.

The program is free and open to individuals caring at home for a spouse or significant other with memory loss. Each participant receives an initial screening and assessment, two individual caregiver sessions and four family/friend sessions. Support groups and phone support services are also offered.

Funding for the Family Support Program comes from The Rosalynn Carter Institute/Johnson & Johnson Caregivers Program. For more information about the Ruvo Center’s caregiver services and programs, visit www.keepmemoryalive.org or call (702) 438-6036.

Photo: Exterior of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health by Matt Carbone Photography