News

Maude’s Awards Recognize and Reward Innovative Dementia Care

Maude's Awards banner with their logo and a photo from Kid Caregivers Puzzle Time

The application period for 2023 Maude’s Awards is now open. Now in its fourth year, Maude’s Awards was developed to gather and share innovations that will enrich the quality of life for persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their care partners.

Annually, Maude’s Awards makes up to eight awards—three $25,000 awards to organizations and up to five $5,000 awards to individuals—for innovations that have demonstrated success in one of four categories of care: Making Connections, Cultivating Health, Supporting Care Partners and Treating By Design. For category descriptions, visit maudesawards.org/the-awards/.

Individual applicants do not have to be a dementia care professional to qualify—the interest is to discover ways that family caregivers and persons with dementia are making life better for themselves and others in their situation. Also of note: Maude’s Awards are for existing programs, products, or practices. They are not grants for the future.

Maude’s Awards is a program of the Richard and Maude Ferry Foundation created in 2019 by Richard Ferry to honor his beloved wife of 64 years. In 2013, Maude was diagnosed with dementia. Richard continues the loving journey as a tireless advocate to discover and share innovations that speak to the challenges and needs of persons living with dementia, and their care partners.

Hailey Richman and her grandmother

Hailey Richman, founder of the Kid Caregivers Puzzle Time program, at age 14, working on a large-piece jigsaw puzzle with her grandmother.

One of the 2022 Maude’s Awards winners is (now) 15-year-old Hailey Richman of Plainview, NY. Hailey is the executive director of Kid Caregivers. Kid Caregivers is a nonprofit organization that supports and empowers children who are acting as a caregiver, by teaching and incorporating coping skills and activities to enliven and improve the quality of life of adults living with Alzheimer’s disease.

One of the main activities Hailey created is the intergenerational Kid Caregivers Puzzle Time program, which has now reached all 50 states and 16 countries, in addition to the United States. Through Puzzle Time, people living with Alzheimer’s receive companionship and stimulation as they solve jigsaw puzzles with youth who are eager to assist them.

For information about all the 2022 Maude’s Awards recipients, visit the organization’s 2022 Awardees webpage. See also “Maude’s Awards Reward Innovative Dementia Care Strategies” (AgeWise King County, November 2022).

For more information about Maude’s Awards and to access the 2023 award application, visit MaudesAwards.org. Applications will be accepted through May 15, 2023 (6 p.m. Pacific Time).

Maude’s Awards also invites you to follow them on social media: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter


Photos of Hailey Richman and Kid Caregivers Puzzle Time program courtesy of Maude’s Awards.