The ALS Association, ND and SD Chapter, Jack Norton Family Respite Program

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Saint Paul, Minnesota

Innovative

The ALS Association of  North Dakota and South Dakota pays a partnering home care agency to provide a professional caregiver in the home of families caring for a loved one with ALS. The Jack Norton Family Respite Program was developed by a man when he was in the early stages of ALS. He wanted to make sure that his wife had supports in place as his condition worsened. The program was developed on the understanding that the knowledge and supports required as the disease progressed required ever-increasing help for caregivers. Trained, professional care providers can assist the loved one with activities of daily living such as transferring, bathing, eating, and toileting so that family caregiver feels safe to leave the care recipient at home while receiving respite. If the care recipient requires skilled care such as suctioning, trach/vent care, etc., the organization will cover a nurse in the home. The agency connects the caregiver with the respite provider and pays for up to 18 hours of respite per month. Learn more at their website.

Programs are reviewed every three years to assess their status. Following their review, recognition of  the Jack Norton Family Respite Program at The ALS Association, MN, ND and SD Chapter as Innovative was extended to January 1, 2027.