New Jersey Bequest Helps Create Innovative Alzheimer’s Caregiver Program

By Michael S. Evers

A bequest of nearly $220,000 from a New Jersey widow has led to development of a new caregiver program that will employ complementary and alternative medicine techniques to support those who are caring for Alzheimer’s disease sufferers. The “Enhancing Memory & Wellness Program” will be directed by Dr. Adam Perlman, director of the Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

The bequest to Project Cure’s Alzheimer’s disease Fund came from Rae Sorkin Movshow, who died on May 10, 2006 in Millburn, New Jersey. Mrs. Movshow’s will, drafted in September 2000, specified that the money be used to support our northern New Jersey caregiver program. Mrs. Movshow’s husband David suffered with Alzheimer’s for 10 years before he passed away in 1995.

I first learned of Mrs. Movshow’s bequest when the executor of her estate notified me in November 2006 that he was unsure about how to proceed with the ADF gift. He claimed in court filings that he thought Mrs. Movshow probably intended for the gift to go the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern New Jersey, or perhaps another group based in New York. He asked the court to help decide the donor’s intent and direct him accordingly.

A quick check of our donor files revealed that Mrs. Movshow had made at least five contributions to ADF in the last two years of her life. The other two competing groups didn’t claim any such contributions in their court papers. If I failed to challenge the executor, one or both of the other groups would more than likely be awarded the bequest, which was at that time estimated to be in the neighborhood of nearly $500,000. Such a challenge might fail, but the huge upside convinced me to give it a shot.

I contacted Mackenzie Canter, our Washington, D.C. counsel, and together we located an attorney in Newark who agreed to take on the case. We filed a response to the executor’s pleadings and set about to seek some form of settlement to avoid needless legal expenses. The sticking point seemed to be our lack of a recognized caregiver program in northern New Jersey. Since the plain intent of Mrs. Movshow was to keep the money working in her home state, we faced losing the bequest unless we could come up with a program that would satisfy the court and silence the other claimants. That’s where Dr. Perlman came in.

Adam Perlman, MD, MPH, is a leader in the field of complementary and alternative medicine: in addition to directing UMDNJ’s Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, he serves as vice chair of the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine, a group of 40 highly acclaimed medical schools that deliver integrative care in their clinical centers.

I contacted Dr. Perlman and informed him of the bequest and questioned whether he knew of any caregiver program in the area utilizing complementary and alternative medicine approaches with Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers. He said he didn’t know of any offhand, but he would discuss the matter with some colleagues and get back in touch with me.

What happened next is little short of a miracle. Dr. Perlman used his network of colleagues to put together a framework for a caregiver program utilizing select pieces of existing programs and talent looking for a way to integrate complementary and alternative medicine into the care of Alzheimer’s patients. That framework has now evolved into the Enhancing Memory & Wellness Program.

Dr. Perlman teamed up with one of Newark’s most notable figures, Monsignor William J. Linder, founder of the New Community Corporation. NCC was formed by Rev. Linder in 1968 as a response to the infamous Newark riots in July 1967, which left 26 dead and caused more than $15 million in property damage. What started as a housing agency has today expanded its reach to nearly every aspect of life for the city's low-income residents. Teaming up with local businesses and universities, NCC now owns nearly 3,000 housing units and has developed programs that include job training, literacy, welfare transition, health care, senior care, and charter schools. It employs 2,300 people; its housing shelters 7,000; and its annual cash flow of $250 million affects the lives of more than 50,000 northern New Jersey residents each year.

Working with Monsignor Linder’s group, Dr. Perlman crafted a program to serve the more than 1,600 senior residents in NCC’s eight facilities. Special emphasis will be given to caregiver training and support groups, to enable caregivers to have the tools and understanding to better cope with the stresses and difficulties of their roles and to provide optimal support for the patient/family member.

We presented Dr. Perlman’s plan to the other litigants in the estate proceeding and got them to agree to settle the case so the money could be put to work helping people instead of being consumed by litigation. The court accepted the plan and funding has now been released to begin training of the caregivers.

Dr. Perlman organized a committee of specialists to discuss how the program could be best developed and implemented, and it was determined that a pilot program should be initiated for the “care coordinators” of the senior housing, and nursing home staff who have direct and daily contact with seniors, and will be responsible for identifying those seniors that may be eligible for the program.

Initially, the Enhancing Memory & Wellness Program will explore use of creative arts therapy; music therapy; self-care techniques and lifestyle modifications; relaxation methods and stress reduction skills; group discussion (empowerment) and mutual support; massage therapy; and nutrition education. Dr. Perlman’s goal is to train a core group of nursescaregivers and to develop the skills and understanding that will enable them to maintain their own health, including brain health, so they can better care for the seniors in their charge.

If the program proves viable, Dr. Perlman plans to introduce it across the nation by tapping into his network of colleagues in the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine.

Thank you David and Rae Movshow for your very generous contribution. The money has remained in northern New Jersey as you wished. And hundreds, perhaps thousands, will benefit from your gift as they employ complementary and alternative medicine to alleviate the suffering of Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers.

Michael Evers presents check for $217,871 to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Foundation to fund the Enhancing Memory & Wellness Program Pictured from l to r are: Monsignor William J. Linder, Founder of New Community Corporation in Newark, Dr. David Gibson, Dean, School of Health Related Professions, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Elizabeth Ketterlinus VP for the Foundation of UMDNJ, Dr. Adam Perlman and Michael Evers