In the News

Care Dimensions Wins Grant from NextFifty Initiative

Care Dimensions, the largest hospice and palliative care provider in Massachusetts, is pleased to announce it has been awarded a grant from the NextFifty Initiative to support the next phase of development of a pilot program to support caregivers of hospice patients at home. NextFifty Initiative is a Colorado-based foundation that supports concepts, projects and innovations that will benefit generations for years to come.

The foundation’s $25,000 grant will allow Care Dimensions to measure the impact, scalability and replicability of Caregiver Connection, an innovative, nurse-led initiative that brings support directly to hands of home hospice caregivers. Using a mobile health application, TapCloud, the project seeks to reduce symptoms frequently experienced by home hospice caregivers such as social isolation, depression and anxiety by facilitating real-time and personal communication with Care Dimensions hospice nurses in English and Spanish.

Care Dimensions launched the platform development phase of the pilot earlier this year and plans a rollout to patients and caregivers this fall. Measurement and evaluation project phases funded by NextFifty Initiative are scheduled to begin shortly therafter.

“We are thrilled that our Caregiver Connection pilot program has won the support of NextFifty Initiative,” said Care Dimensions Chief Medical Officer and Vice President Stephanie Patel, MD, FAAHPM, HMDC. “Caregiver isolation is a serious problem for our country’s estimated 45 million caregivers, most of whom are drawn into the role without training or preparation. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly accelerated the urgency to develop more innovative support strategies that can quickly overcome barriers to accessing support. It’s a tremendous endorsement to have this backing from funders so aligned with our mission.”

“Our goal is to transform the way we view and experience aging, and that informs the types of unique ideas and programs we fund,” said Diana McFail, President and CEO of NextFifty Initiative. “Given our commitment to social equity, we are especially excited that Care Dimensions has deployed their project in an underserved community. The learnings and insight will have national implications on how we better support our aging communities across the country. We offer our support and congratulations.”

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About Care Dimensions

Care Dimensions is the largest hospice and palliative care provider to adults and children in Massachusetts. As a non-profit, community-based leader in advanced illness care, Care Dimensions provides comprehensive hospice, palliative care, grief support in more than 95 communities in Eastern Massachusetts. Care Dimensions was founded in 1978 as Hospice of the North Shore, and cares for patients wherever they live – in their homes, in skilled nursing facilities and assisted living communities, in hospitals, or at our two inpatient hospice facilities (the Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln, and the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers). Additionally, Care Dimensions HomeMD program provides in-home primary care to patients over age 65 in select communities on the North Shore and Greater Boston who have difficulty leaving home. The Care Dimensions Learning Institute educates more than 7,000 healthcare professionals and community members each year on advanced illness and end-of-life topics. To learn more about Care Dimensions, please visit www.CareDimensions.org.

About NextFifty Initiative

NextFifty Initiative is a Colorado-based private foundation. The organization exists to create brighter, longer and healthier futures that unlock the potential of communities through an advanced funding approach. Through this work, communities are positioned to fully benefit from the wisdom and diverse experiences of a thriving aging population. Our approach applies a multitude of lenses in funding high-yield aging solutions that benefit people age 50 and older. NextFifty Initiative focuses on funding designed to support concepts, projects and innovations that will benefit generations for years to come. To learn more, please visit next50initiative.org.