History of the Woodward Respite Care Fund
The Woodward Respite Care Fund began in 1990 with the donation of $25,000 from a member of the Denver Chapter of OWL (www.OWL-national.org) with funds from the estate of her mother to be used for the single purpose of helping caregivers obtain respite care. In February of 2003 the Woodward Respite Care Fund received a bequest from her father's estate upon his death. Soon after this donation, the Woodward Respite Care Fund became a Colorado Corporation and obtained 501(c)(3) status from the IRS.

The Woodward Board members serve as volunteers with no financial reimbursement. Donations to the fund are made by community agencies, churches, and individuals. With very little overhead expenses, all donations are used for caregiver funds. Board members are available to speak in the community about caregiving issues. We also work in conjunction with the local Alzheimer's Association to present a Caregiver Awareness Event in November, which is National Caregiver's Month.

Board members of the Woodward Respite Care Fund meet monthly to go over applications. Once an application is received a board member interviews the caregiver to get more details about their situation. At that time information and resources are discussed with the caregiver, offering choices of further help. Often times, this includes help with an application for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), a Medicaid program offering the caregiver more help in the home. If the caregiver's request for funds is approved, an agency is contacted about the details and payment for the respite care. The Board works with many agencies in the community, including adult day care centers, home health agencies, in-home companion agencies, assisted living and nursing home facilities.

Throughout the years as the Woodward Board decides on respite funding for the caregiver, the same question continues to arise. Our funds, while helpful, are just a band-aid and only temporary. When the funds are depleted, the caregiver ends up back in the same situation, trying to do it all. In the Fall of 2005 the Woodward board became aware of a program called Share The Care™ (www.sharethecare.org). This program was taken on by the Life Quality Institute (LQI), a part of the Denver Hospice, offering palliative care education to different communities throughout Colorado (www.lifequalityinstitute.org). Jane Barton, a community educator with the Life Quality Institute and a Woodward Board member, is the point person facilitating collaborative training efforts and promotion of Share the Care™ in the State of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Region.

At a time when our healthcare systems are stressed, families are geographically scattered, and technology serves to isolate and insulate, Share The Care™ is a refreshing and relational approach to caregiving. Family members, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and volunteers unite to create a community of care...a community offering time and talents to meet the diverse and varied needs of the patient and their family. Whether facing the challenge of cancer, ALS, Alzheimer's, AIDS, MS, or other serious illnesses, Share The Care TM provides a practical approach to caregiving which results in compassionate, competent care for the patient while alleviating the overwhelming stress of the primary caregiver. By sharing the care, the likelihood of the primary caregiver succumbing to serious illness is reduced while the quality of life for the patient and family is enhanced.