Living with Grief: Loss in Later Life
HFA's Year 2002 Initiative - read the news release
Resource List
As the aging population increases, so does the number of people who face caregiving responsibilities and the issues of loss that inevitably follow. In response, many organizations offer support and resources to meet both personal and professional needs. The following list provides a guide to these organizations and the services they offer.
AARP
601 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20049
(800) 424-3410
www.aarp.org
e-mail: member@aarp.org
AARP is a membership organization dedicated to shaping and enriching the experience of aging by helping individuals make the most of their lives after age 50. AARP provides education and information about caregiving, long-term care, and aging, including publications and audiovisual aids for caregivers.
Administration on Aging (AoA)
330 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201
(202) 619-7501 Fax: (202) 260-1012
www.aoa.gov
e-mail: aoainfo@aoa.gov
AoA is the federal focal point and advocate agency for older persons and their concerns. AoA works to heighten awareness among other federal agencies, organizations, groups, and the public about the valuable contributions that older Americans make to the nation and alerts them to the needs of vulnerable older people. Through information, referral, and outreach efforts at the community level, AoA seeks to educate older people and their caregivers about the benefits and services available to help them.
Aging Network Services
4400 East-West Highway, Suite 907, Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 657-4329 Fax: (301) 657-3250
www.AgingNets.com
e-mail: ans@AgingNets.com
Aging Network Services provides counseling, consultation, psychotherapy, and care management to elders and their family members.
Alliance for Aging Research
2021 K Street, NW, Suite 305, Washington, DC 20006
(202) 293-2856
www.agingresearch.org
e-mail: info@agingresearch.org
The Alliance for Aging Research is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and independence of Americans as they age. The Alliance works to stimulate academic, governmental, and private sector research into the chronic diseases of human aging. The Alliance produces many educational brochures and reports for both consumers and professionals.
Alzheimer's Association
919 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1100, Chicago, IL 60611-1676
(800) 272-3900 or (312) 335-8700 Fax: (312) 335-1110
www.alz.org
e-mail: info@alz.org
The Alzheimer's Association, a national network of chapters, is the largest national voluntary health organization committed to finding a cure for Alzheimer's and helping those affected by the disease. The Association seeks to advance research and to enhance care and support for patients and their families and caregivers.
Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center
National Institute on Aging
P.O. Box 8250, Silver Spring, MD 20907
(800) 438-4380 or (301) 495-3311
www.alzheimers.org
e-mail: adear@alzheimers.org
The ADEAR Center is an information service sponsored by the National Institute on Aging. The Center distributes information about all aspects of Alzheimer's disease to health professionals, patients, their families, and the general public. In addition to a wide variety of information about Alzheimer's and other dementias, the Center provides information about caregiving and can help locate information and resources to deal with the grief and loss associated with the disease.
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA)
2519 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008
(202) 783-2242 Fax: (202) 783-2255
www.aahsa.org
e-mail: info@aahsa.org
AAHSA consists of more than 5,600 not-for-profit nursing homes; continuing care, assisted living, and senior housing facilities; retirement communities; and community service organizations. AAHSA's members include faith-based and community-sponsored providers. AAHSA serves its members by representing before Congress and federal agencies the concerns of not-for-profit organizations that serve older people.
American Geriatrics Society (AGS)
The Empire State Building, 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 801, New York, NY 10118
(212) 308-1414 Fax: (212) 832-8646
www.americangeriatrics.org
e-mail: info.amger@americangeriatrics.org
AGS is a professional organization of health care providers dedicated to improving the health and well-being of all older adults. With an active membership of more than 6,000 health care professionals, the AGS has a long history of effecting change in the provision of health care for older adults.
Americans for Better Care of the Dying (ABCD)
4125 Albemarle Street, NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20016
(202) 895-9485 Fax: (202) 895-9484
www.abcd-caring.org
e-mail: info@abcd-caring.org
ABCD seeks to improve end-of-life care by focusing on social and political changes that will lead to enduring, efficient, and effective programs.
Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC)
342 N. Main Street, West Hartford, CT 06117
(860) 586-7503 Fax: (860) 586-7550
www.adec.org
ADEC is a multidisciplinary professional organization dedicated to promoting excellence in death education, bereavement counseling, and care of the dying. ADEC provides its membership and the public with information, support, and resources based on theory and quality research.
Center to Improve Care of the Dying
1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202
(703) 413-1100, extension 5451 Fax: (703) 414-4717
www.medicaring.org
e-mail: info@medicaring.org
Part of RAND Health, the Center to Improve Care of the Dying focuses on health care services research and quality improvement. The Center has helped lead the call to improve end-of-life care. Its website provides a resource of professional and private organizations working on a range of important issues.
Children of Aging Parents (CAPS)
1609 Woodbourne Road, Suite 302-A, Levittown, PA 19057
(800) 227-7294
www.caps4caregivers.org
e-mail: caps4caregivers@aol.com
CAPS assists caregivers of older persons with information and referrals, a network of support groups, and publications and programs that promote public awareness of the value and the needs of caregivers. CAPS is dedicated to assisting caregivers of older adults in all aspects of caregiving.
Compassionate Friends
P.O. Box 3696, Oak Brook, IL 60522
(630) 990-0010 Fax: (630) 990-0246
www.compassionatefriends.org
Compassionate Friends is a self-help organization that offers friendship and understanding to families following the death of a child. There are 580 chapters nationwide that provide monthly meetings, phone contacts, lending libraries, and grief-related literature. The Compassionate Friends also provides training programs and resources for local chapters and answers referral requests.
Eldercare Locator
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging
927 15th Street, NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20005
(800) 677-1116 or (202) 296-8130 Fax: (202) 296-8134
www.eldercare.gov
Eldercare Locator provides referrals to area agencies on aging via zip code locations and offers information about many eldercare issues and services in local communities.
Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA)
The Empire State Building, 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 801, New York, NY 10118
(212) 755-6810
www.healthinaging.org
e-mail: staff@healthaging.org
FHA was established to meet the health care needs and concerns of older adults and their caregivers through public education, research, and public policy. FHA aims to build a bridge between geriatrics health care professionals and the public, and to advocate on behalf of older adults and their special needs: wellness and preventive care, self-responsibility and independence, and connections to the family and community.
Generations United (GU)
122 C Street, NW, Suite 820, Washington, DC 20001
(202) 638-1263 Fax: (202) 638-7555
www.gu.org
e-mail: gu@gu.org
GU is the only national membership organization focused on promoting intergenerational strategies, programs, and public policies. GU advocates for the mutual well-being of children, youth, and older adults. It serves as a resource for educating policy makers and the public about the economic, social, and personal imperatives of intergenerational cooperation. GU provides a forum in which those working with children, youth, and older adults can explore areas of common interest while celebrating the richness of each generation.
Gerontological Society of America (GSA)
1030 15th Street, NW, Suite 250, Washington, DC 20005
(202) 842-1275
www.geron.org
e-mail: geron@geron.org
GSA is one of the oldest and largest multidisciplinary scientific organizations devoted to the advancement of gerontological research in the country. GSA's primary missions are to promote research and education in aging and to encourage the dissemination of research to other scientists, decision makers, and practitioners.
Growth House, Inc.
www.growthhouse.org
Growth House, Inc. is a website dedicated to improving the quality of compassionate care for people who are dying. It seeks to accomplish this mission through public education about hospice and home care, palliative care, pain management, death with dignity, bereavement, and related issues.
HealthandAge
www.healthandage.com
The HealthandAge website provides articles and other resources on health, illness, and aging.
Hospice Association of America (HAA)
228 7th Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003
(202) 546-4759 Fax: (202) 547-9559
www.hospice-america.org
HAA is a national organization representing more than 2,300 hospices and thousands of caregivers and volunteers who serve terminally ill patients and their families. HAA advocates hospice interests before Congress, the regulatory agencies, other national organizations, the courts, the media, and the public.
Hospice Foundation of America (HFA)
1621 Connecticut Ave., NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20009
(800) 854-3402 or (202) 638-5419 Fax: (202) 638-5312
www.hospicefoundation.org
e-mail: hfa@hospicefoundation.org
HFA is a nonprofit organization that provides leadership in the development and application of hospice and its philosophy of care. The Foundation produces an annual award-winning national bereavement teleconference and publishes the companion Living With Grief book series. HFA also provides a variety of other resources, including A Guide to Recalling and Telling Your Life Story, a tool to assist people in writing their autobiographies. Clergy to Clergy: Ministering to Those Facing Illness, Death, and Grief is an audiotape series developed to help clergy of all faiths minister to their communities. HFA also publishes Journeys, a monthly newsletter for the bereaved, and offers brochures on topics from Choosing Hospice to Supporting a Friend Through Illness and Loss. HFA is a member of the Combined Federal Campaign through Health Charities of America.
National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc.
1604 North Country Club Road, Tucson, AZ 85716
(520) 881-4005 Fax: (520) 325-7925
www.naela.org
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc. is a nonprofit association that assists lawyers, bar organizations, and others who work with older clients and their families. The Academy provides a resource of information, education, networking, and assistance to those who must deal with the many specialized issues involved with legal services to older and disabled clients. Request a copy of "Questions and Answers When Looking for an Elder Law Attorney" by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA)
1511 Third Avenue, Suite 941, Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 624-1221 Fax: 206-624-1023
www.napca.org
e-mail: angelo@napca.org
NAPCA serves as a national advocacy organization committed to preserving the dignity, well-being and quality of life of Asian Pacific Americans in their senior years. NAPCA recruits and places persons who are 55 and over in support, technical, and engineering positions in Environmental Protection Agency offices through the Senior Environment Employment Program. NAPCA provides low-income persons who are 55 and over with opportunities to gain meaningful part-time paid work experience in community service agencies and assists them in obtaining unsubsidized jobs in public or private sectors through the Senior Community Service Employment Program. It conducts roundtables, town meetings, and conferences where elders are able to voice their needs and concerns in their native languages.
National Association for Hispanic Elderly (Asociación Nacional Por Personas Mayores)
234 East Colorado Boulevard, Suite 300, Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 564-1988 Fax: (626) 564-2659
The National Association for Hispanic Elderly is a national, private, nonprofit organization providing a variety of services for older Hispanic people. Its resources include a national Hispanic research center, research and consultation for organizations seeking to reach older Spanish-speaking people, and dissemination of written and audiovisual materials in English and Spanish. The Association administers Project AYUDA, a program providing employment counseling and placement services.
National Association for the Support of Long Term Care
1321 Duke Street, Suite 304, Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 549-8500 Fax: (703) 549-8342
www.nasl.org
e-mail: member@nasl.org
The National Association for the Support of Long Term Care provides a national communication forum, as well as legislative and regulatory representation, for long-term care industry professionals; serves as a source of information in the development of health care policy; and joins the nursing home community in promoting a realistic national program for the provision of the highest quality services to patients receiving long-term care.
National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers
1604 North Country Club Road, Tucson, AZ 85716
(520) 881-8008 Fax: (520) 325-7925
www.caremanager.org
Geriatric care managers (GCMs) are health care professionals, most often social workers, who help families deal with the problems and challenges associated with caring for older people. This organization provides referrals to state chapters which, in turn, can provide the names of GCMs in a particular area.
National Caucus & Center on Black Aged, Inc. (NCBA)
1220 L Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005
(202) 637-8400 Fax: (202) 347-0895
www.ncba-blackaged.org
e-mail: Health@ncba-aged.org
NCBA, founded in 1970, is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to improving the quality of life for African-American elders, particularly those of lower socioeconomic status.
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO)
1700 Diagonal Road, Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 837-1500 Fax: (703) 525-5762
www.nhpco.org
e-mail: info@nhpco.org
NHPCO is the oldest and largest nonprofit organization in the United States devoted exclusively to hospice and palliative care. It operates the Hospice Helpline (800-658-8898) to provide the general public and health care providers with information about hospice and palliative care.
Older Women's League (OWL)
666 11th Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20001
(202) 783-6686 or (800) 825-3695 Fax: (202) 638-2356
www.owl-national.org
e-mail: owlinfo@owl-national.org
OWL, a grassroots membership organization that focuses on issues unique to women as they age, strives to improve the status and quality of life for midlife and older women.
Partnership for Caring
1620 Eye Street, NW, Suite 202, Washington, DC 20006
(202) 296-8071 Fax: (202) 296-8352
Hotline: (800) 989-9455
www.partnershipforcaring.org
e-mail: pfc@partnershipforcaring.org
Partnership for Caring is a coalition of individual consumers, consumer organizations, health care professionals, and health care organizations advocating for needed changes in professional and public policy and health care systems to improve care for dying persons and their families.
Project on Death in America
Open Society Institute
400 W. 59th Street, New York, NY 10019
(212) 548-0150 Fax: (212) 548-4613
www.soros.org/death/index.html
e-mail: pdia@sorosny.org
The mission of Project on Death in America is to understand and transform the culture and experience of dying and bereavement through initiatives in the provision of care, public education, professional education, and public policy.
