Alzheimer's Association lays off 9% of staff nationally, including cuts in Wisconsin
Citing a "challenging economic environment," the Alzheimer's Association is laying off 9% of its staff nationwide, including six care and support employees in Wisconsin.
The layoffs leave nine care and support employees in Wisconsin. Of the nine employees, seven will be based in Milwaukee, one in Green Bay and one in Rhinelander, according to Kate Meyer, an Alzheimer's Association spokeswoman. Care and support staff are a referral resource for hospital social workers and plan a key role in coordinating and setting up support groups, among other things, that are then led by volunteers.
Meyer told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel layoffs occurred across the country, including at its home office in Chicago and its 75 local offices.
"Given the challenging economic environment, we are taking steps that enable us to operate most effectively in support of our mission at this time," Meyer said in an emailed statement.
According to its most recent 990 tax forms, the Alzheimer's Association's mid-year fund balance for 2022 was $320 million, down from $355 million the previous year, a nearly 10% drop. Information for 2022 to 2023 will not be available for months.
"It has been just mind-blowing for us to find out about the cuts at the Alzheimer's Association," said Jeff Hamm, executive director of the Alzheimer's & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin. "I'm not even sure how widely known it is."
The Alzheimer's Association, known for its fundraising walk-a-thons and signature purple T-shirts, estimates 120,000 people in Wisconsin have Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. Another 196,000 classify themselves as caregivers for friends or family members suffering from the cognitive disorder.
"Importantly, we remain in the communities across Wisconsin and are committed to quality care and support for all those impacted by Alzheimer’s and other dementias," Meyer said. "These changes are not easy, and they are especially challenging because every member of the Alzheimer’s Association team has played a vital role in bringing our organization to where we are today."
All of its services are free.
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other reduced cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life.
Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia claim the lives of 1 in 3 seniors, according to the association.
More: Alzheimer's disease can be debilitating. Why new drugs for dementia may be out of reach.
According to its website, the Alzheimer's Association is the largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer'sresearch, receiving more than $410 million to fund critical advancements for new treatments,preventions and, ultimately, a cure.
News of the layoffs comes a little more than a month after the nonprofit Hamm operates, The Alzheimer's & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin, announced it is permanently closing its operation June 30. The 40-year-old Madison-based nonprofit, which ended its affiliation with the Alzheimer's Association in 2009, serves 10 counties in south-central and southwest Wisconsin.
"People were rocked by news of our closing," Hamm said. "Now this is just another level."
Hamm said staffing also had become an issue. After searching to fill positions for months, two of the Alliance's employees quit in September. He has been unable to replace them, leaving only him and two other employees to provide outreach and support for "hundreds of families."
Five years ago, eight employees were covering its service area, he said.
"I think we are all struggling to get funding," Hamm said. "Like the Alzheimer's Association, we are entirely dependent on donations to survive. When those donations don't come in, we are in trouble."
Hamm stressed that the larger context for families to keep in mind is that "Wisconsin is a leader in dementia care services." Each county has a dementia care specialist, funded by the state, that provides community outreach and hosts large public gatherings to provide memory assessments. Specialists also work with individual families.
"It is unfortunate that dementia care is being financially supported through donations," Hamm said. "It should be a central part of our healthcare system."
Questions about Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia can be directed to the Alzheimer's Association helpline at 1-800-272-3900. Help is available in more than 200 languages, 24 hours, seven days a week, at any stage of the disease.
Jessica Van Egeren is the enterprise health reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at jvanegeren@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Alzheimer's Association layoffs six Wisconsin employees
