NEW YORK – Fifteen community colleges have been selected to receive $20,000 grants for caregiver training programs.
The funding addresses a growing crisis by encouraging the expansion of training programs for family caregivers and in-home care workers.
The New York-based International Longevity Center, with support from the MetLife Foundation, presented the 2009 Community College Training Initiative grants as part of the Caregiving Project for Older Americans, a partnership with the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education.
"This initiative has gained tremendous momentum in recent years and this year's applications were particularly strong," said Robert N. Butler, president and CEO of the International Longevity Center. "More than ever, people who need quality homecare are having difficulty finding it, and families who often provide care are facing greater challenges balancing work and home responsibilities."
With the money, Cabrillo College of Aptos, Wash., plans to launch a training program that targets direct care workers and family caregivers. The program will offer lectures, discussions and experiential learning techniques in Spanish and English.
"Community colleges are perfectly positioned to help address a growing caregiving crisis," said Dennis White, president and CEO of the MetLife Foundation.
Those receiving grants are:
• Aiken Technical College, Aiken, S.C.
• Cabrillo College, Aptos, Calif.
• Clark College, Vancouver, Wash.
• Community College of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh
• Eastern Shore Community College, Melfa, Va.
• Feather River Community College, Quincy, Calif.
• George C. Wallace Community College, Dothan, Ala.
• Kingsborough Community College, Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Macomb Community College, Warren, Mich.
• Miami Dade College, Miami, Fla.
• Monroe Community College, Rochester, N.Y.
• Parkland Community College, Champaign, Ill.
• Prairie State College, Chicago Heights, Ill.
• Southeast Arkansas College, Pine Bluff, Ark.
• Trinity Valley Community College, Athens, Texas
