Alzheimer’s Awareness Month: How CASL Supports Families Facing Dementia

Written by Jinxiao (Ruby) Tan, LCSW, Brain Health and Caregiving Program Manager 

Every November, National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month calls attention to the more than 6 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s and the millions of family members who care for them. In Chicago’s Chinatown, CASL works year-round to make sure families don’t have to navigate that journey alone. 

Dementia Care, Built for This Community

Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia don’t look the same in every household, and support shouldn’t either. CASL’s Brain Health and caregivers programming are built specifically for Chicago’s Chinatown community — bilingual, culturally grounded, and rooted in the belief that families caring for a loved one with dementia deserve support that actually fits their lives. 

That work happens through several long-standing pieces of the program: 

• Dementia Friendly America Chicago-Chinatown — a community-wide initiative working to make local businesses, services, and public spaces more welcoming and accessible for people living with dementia. 

• Skills2Care — hands-on training that gives family caregivers practical tools for the day-to-day realities of dementia care. 

• Stress-Busting Program — an evidence-based group program designed to reduce caregiver stress and prevent burnout. 

• Memory Café — regular gatherings that bring people experiencing memory changes together with their care partners for connection, activities, and community. 

A New Layer of Support: The GUIDE Model

This year, CASL became part of something bigger: the CMS Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, a national Medicare initiative designed to reduce the burden on unpaid caregivers and help people with dementia stay safely in their homes and communities for as long as possible. 

Under GUIDE, eligible families are paired with a dedicated care navigator who helps coordinate everything from medical appointments to community resources. The model also opens the door to caregiver training, 24/7 access to support, and — for many families, for the first time — Medicare-covered respite services, giving caregivers real breaks from the demands of caregiving. 

For CASL, GUIDE isn’t a replacement for the programs already in place — it’s infrastructure that helps connect them. A family that comes to CASL through GUIDE care navigation might also find their way to a Memory Café, a Skills2Care training, or a Stress-Busting support group, all without having to find each piece on their own. 

Why Awareness Still Matters

Dementia can be an isolating diagnosis, and in many communities, cultural stigma keeps families from asking for help until a crisis hits. Alzheimer’s Awareness Month is a chance to say, clearly and publicly: memory loss is a health condition, not a private shame, and support exists. 

If your family is navigating a new diagnosis, or has been caregiving quietly for years without much outside support, CASL’s Brain Health team is here — in Cantonese, in Mandarin, in Spanish, and in English. 

CASL offers dementia care navigation, caregiver training, support groups, and Memory Café events for families who are impacted by dementia or cognitive concerns. To learn more or connect with a dementia-specialized staff, contact CASL at 312-791-0418. 

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