Press Releases

ILC-USA and MetLife Foundation Launch Second Year of Community College Caregiver Training Grants

NEW YORK (April 7, 2008)— The critical lack of family and paraprofessional caregivers for older adults in the United States has motivated renewal of the Community College Caregiver Training Initiative for a second year.

With funding from MetLife Foundation, The Caregiving Project for Older Americans, a project housed within the International Longevity Center-USA (ILC-USA), has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) and will award up to twelve $25,000 grants to community colleges to establish new caregiver training programs or to build upon existing programs.

“We have a growing caregiving crisis in our country. Increasingly, there are too few caregivers, both paid and unpaid, and too many people needing care,” said Dr. Kenneth Knapp, project manager for The Caregiving Project and senior research analyst at the ILC-USA. “There is an urgent need to develop accessible training programs for caregivers of older adults. Community colleges have the ability to provide affordable, quality caregiver training to both family caregivers and paid care workers.”

Response to the 2007 Community College Caregiver Training Initiative underscores the strong role that community college can play in providing this important training. The 2008 initiative continues to encourage the development of new and novel programs to train both family and professional in-home caregivers, promote skill development, advance the quality of care, and provide opportunities for career development.

"Community colleges can play a pivotal role in meeting the increased need for caregiver training," said Sibyl Jacobson, president and CEO, MetLife Foundation. "These grants will offer opportunities for community colleges across the country."

“There is an urgent need to develop accessible training programs for caregivers of older adults. Community colleges have the ability to provide affordable, quality caregiver training to both family caregivers and paid care workers.” ~ Dr. Kenneth Knapp, Project Manager, The Caregiving Project

The RFP encourages innovation in the design, management, and implementation of caregiver training programs. Program requirements include:

Care of Older Adults. The training must prepare students to care for older people, either exclusively or in addition to other groups.
Care in the Home. The training must prepare students to provide care in home settings, either exclusively or in addition to institutional care.
Family Caregivers. While the overall program may be for the training of professional caregivers, some components must address family caregivers.

The RFP can be downloaded at www.ilcusa.org/caregiving/colleges. The deadline for submissions is May 15, 2008. At a minimum, planning stages for implementation awarded program must begin by September 2008; full implementation of awarded training program must begin by Spring 2009. Final selection of grantees will be made July 2008. Questions should be directed to ccct.2008@ilcusa.org.

About The Caregiving Project for Older Americans

The Caregiving Project for Older Americans is an action-oriented collaboration that aims to improve the nation’s caregiving workforce through training, the establishment of standards, and the creation of a career ladder. Bolstering support for family caregivers is another major goal of the project. A joint venture of the International Longevity Center-USA and the Schmieding Center for Senior Health & Education the effort combines the talents of a policy research center with a clinical outpatient and health education program. To learn more about the project visit www.ilcusa.org/caregiving.

About MetLife Foundation

MetLife Foundation was established by MetLife to carry on its long-standing tradition of corporate citizenship and community involvement. Grants support education, health, civic and cultural programs, with a focus on addressing shifting U.S. demographics through its work, including the growing number of older adults in America. More information about the Foundation is available at www.metlife.org.