Plattsburgh, NY – The Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Support Initiative, a nonprofit organization based in Northern New York state that brings free support services to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia caregivers, is pleased to announce Valarie Drown, MS, NCC, LMHC as Project Director.
Drown graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh with a master’s degree in mental health counseling. She has been working with individuals who have dementia and their caregivers for 19 years. Drown has held many positions through the Research Foundation for The State University of New York in Plattsburgh and has been a valued member of the Caregiver Support Initiative team since its inception in 2015, most recently as Co-Project Director.
“It has been my desire to work in this field for as long as I can remember,” Drown said. “As a caregiver myself, I know it can be an isolating role. I want other caregivers to feel supported through the Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Support Initiative and know that they can always reach out to us for help at any step of their caregiving journey. I hope to see continued funding of the Initiative so that North Country caregivers can receive free services that are often limited or unavailable in rural settings.”
The Caregiver Support Initiative offers many free services to ease the stress that is felt by caregivers of those with dementia including support groups, care consultations, education workshops, Project LifeSaver, respite and memory cafes.
About Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Support Initiative:
Also known as We Help Caregivers, the Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Support Initiative provides free support services to those caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease and memory disorders in northern New York, across Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Warren and Washington Counties. The Initiative’s goal is to reduce caregivers’ financial, emotional and physical distress, and improve caregiver overall health and quality of life, while also reducing the number of care receiver emergency visits and institutional placements. Operated by The Center for Neurobehavioral Health, it is an affiliated program of the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Plattsburgh and is supported by the SUNY Research Foundation.
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