Our Story
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Who we are

Interfaith CarePartners is an educational, non-profit, servant organization to congregations.  We help congregations recognize and compassionately respond to opportunities to enjoy supportive relationships with community-dwelling individuals and families whose independence and self-esteem are challenged by a chronic illness or disabling condition.
 

What we do

We enable congregations to create and sustain specialized and dedicated ministries of laypeople organized as a team to support and care for people who would benefit from assistance with basic activities of daily living and caregivers who would benefit from respite or time away from their caregiving activities.  This volunteer home-based ministry of presence and practical assistance is complemented by additional services provided by Interfaith CarePartners.     

All programs and services of Interfaith CarePartners are characterized by an emphasis on quality assurance, professional supervision, and competent and compassionate care. 
 

Methods of caring

Congregations become partners in the Care Team^® program created by the founders of Interfaith CarePartners in 1985.  Congregations are assisted and authorized to create a Care Team^® ministry consisting of a group of laypeople who are trained to share the journeys of people with a disabling condition and their caregivers.  There are four expressions of the Care Team^® concept: Second Family Care Team^®, Alzheimer’s Care Team^®, AIDS Care Team^®, and Kids’ Pals Care Team^®. 

A Second Family Care Team^® serves people with physical or cognitive impairments and caregivers.  An Alzheimer’s Care Team^® serves people with dementia (most commonly Alzheimer’s disease) and caregivers.  A Kids’ Pals Care Team^® serves families with a special needs child.  An AIDS Care Team^® serves people with HIV/AIDS.   The care and support of a Care Team^® are offered to any person with relevant needs living alone or with a caregiver outside of institutional or custodial care residences.  The care and support provided by team members are coordinated by team leaders and supervised by staff of the sponsoring congregation and Interfaith CarePartners. 

Interfaith CarePartners also offers educational and skill-building Caregiver Conferences, a Personal Assistant Service or professional geriatric care management, and Common Ground: Caregiver Conversations - professionally facilitated support groups for caregivers. 

Our Passions

Mission

• To care for weak and vulnerable people 

Vision

• To create, equip, and sustain caring communities
   

Core Values

• Respect, sensitivity, and compassion for all

• Human interdependence and divine call to care

• Value congregations and caregiving gifts of laypeople

• Leadership and teamwork

• Excellence and integrity in all that we do
   

Core Competencies

Servant Leadership

• Organizing and equipping an interfaith network of congregations and volunteers

• Mutually beneficial partnerships and collaborations  

Innovation

• Creating and diffusing methods of volunteer caregiving

• Enabling interfaith collaboration for caregiving 
   

Advocacy

• Education about adverse effects of illness and impairment

• Call congregations to assist the frail, chronically ill, and disabled
   

Who benefits - impact areas

The caregiving programs of Interfaith CarePartners benefit individuals, congregations, volunteers, and community.  The specific benefits are as follows.
 

For recipients of care

• Enhanced capacity to live at home

• Family caregivers enabled to prolong care 
   

For congregations

• Create and sustain caregiving ministries of excellence
   

For volunteers
 

• Opportunities for meaningful service

• Increased skills for caregiving
   

For community

• An infrastructure of trained and supervised volunteer caregivers