CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services.

A three-year accreditation outcome represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows Family Alliance’s substantial conformance to the standards established by CARF. The CARF survey team reviews the agency’s compliance with hundreds of standards covering areas of practice, including: governance, leadership, performance improvement, client rights, health and safety, human resources, finance, legal requirements, program structure and staffing, access to services, client-centered assessment and treatment planning and medication management, Family Alliance has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during a three day onsite visit that its programs, business practices, and services are of the highest quality, measure, and accountability.

In addition to receiving the highest level of accreditation, Family Alliance also received an “exemplary” conformance rating (exceeded expectations) for the agency’s local and national education and training program of best practice standards for dementia care.

Family Alliance received commendations for the comfortable and conducive environment that supports the care of the persons served, the variety of activities in the day health programs and day health rooms’ design for the needs of the persons served. Our Executive Director, Carol Louise, was also commended for creating an atmosphere that fosters the provision of the highest quality of care by staff members and the high level of satisfaction by staff and clients.

Family Alliance, Inc. is constantly striving to provide the best and most up-to-date services available to their senior clients. The CARF accreditation advances the agency one step further in achieving these goals. In January 2007, CARF released new program standards and an accreditation opportunity for Dementia Care. Family Alliance plans to apply for the expansion of the current accreditation to include the agency’s dementia programming this Fall.

(Chicago) - Lonely individuals may be twice as likely to develop the type of dementia linked to Alzheimer’s disease in late life as those who are not lonely, according to a study by researchers at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. The study is published in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

Previous studies have shown that social isolation, or having few interactions with others, is associated with an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline. However, little was know about the emotional isolation, which refers to feeling alone rather than being alone.

Robert S. Wilson, PhD, and his colleagues, analyzed the association between loneliness and Alzheimer’s disease in 823 older adults over a four year period.  Participants underwent evaluations that included questionnaires to assess loneliness, classifications of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and testing of their thinking, learning and memory abilities. Loneliness was measured on a scale of one to five, with higher scores indicating more loneliness. The data was collected between November 2000 and May 2006.

At the first examination, participants’ average loneliness score was 2.3.  During the study period, 76 individuals developed dementia that met criteria for Alzheimer’s disease. Risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease increased approximately 51 percent for each point on the loneliness score, so that a person with a high loneliness score (3.2) had about 2.1 times greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than a person with a low score (1.4). The findings did not change significantly when the researchers factored in markers of social isolations, such as a small network and infrequent social activities.

According to Wilson, loneliness is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, not an early sign of the disease. Autopsies were performed on 90 individuals who died during the study. Loneliness during life was not related to any of the hallmark brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease, including nerve plaques and tangles, or tissue damaged by lack of blood flow.

“Humans are very social creatures. We need healthy interactions with others to maintain our health,” said Wilson. “The results of our study suggest that people who are persistently lonely may be more vulnerable to the deleterious effects of age-related neuropathology.”

The mechanism that does link dementia and loneliness is unclear.  Wilson encourages more study to look at how negative emotions cause changes in the brain.

“If loneliness is causing changes in the brain, it is quite possible that medications or changes in behavior could lessen the effects of these negative emotions and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Wilson.

The researchers are extremely grateful for the remarkable dedication and altruism of the volunteers participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project. The research was supported by grants from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the National Institutes on Aging, which leads the Federal effort to support and conduct basic, clinical, and social and behavioral studies on aging and on Alzheimer’s disease.