WE❤CARE Curriculum

WE CARE logo that shows the program stands for Wellness, Educaton, Confidence, Assessment & Recognizing Emergencies
WECARE is an eight-week curriculum that aims to empower mutual caregivers with developmental disabilities nationwide, fostering the capacity to provide essential care and maintain home safety while aging in place.
Black elderly man sitting close to a teenaged girl
Asian middle-aged woman helping to feed an elderly Asian woman at a kitchen table
Young adult white male with Downs Syndrome stands with arm around an elderly white man.
Young adult black man sits a computer with an elderly black man looking on as the young man types

Why It’s Important

Nationwide, there is a lack of information, support, and resources available to guide caregivers with developmental disabilities in a mutual caregiving arrangement.

Mutual caregiving refers to situations in which two parties are caring for one another. WECARE was developed in response to the growing number of mutual caregivers throughoueeet the country, specifically, to support scenarios in which at least one party has a developmental disability.

The Solution

WECARE is a curriculum created for individuals with developmental disabilities who are in a mutual caregiving arrangement with an aging loved one. This curriculum focuses on instilling confidence as a caregiver through skill development, connecting with the community, accessing resources, and learning to identify the needs of oneself and others. The goal of WECARE is to increase the capacity of both family members to support each other and prolong their ability to age in place.

The program covers: 

Wellness

Education

Confidence

Assessment

Recognizing Emergencies

Who Delivers the Program

Developed for implementation within organizations that serve individuals with developmental disabilities, WECARE can be facilitated by a variety of personnel, including direct support professionals, organizational staff, social workers, and volunteers. The curriculum was crafted to provide facilitators with all the tools necessary for delivery and requires no prior training. 

Curriculum Materials

All WECARE materials are available for download at no cost. Below, you will find the complete curriculum package, including the Facilitator Guide and all eight modules with the corresponding handouts and supportive materials in English and Spanish, which can be customized to fit the needs of the individuals you serve.

Cover of theWE CARE Facilitator's Guide with teal stripe at bottom of page with partners' logos.
Cover of the WE CARE Facilitator's Guide in Spanish with teal stripe at bottom of page with partners' logos.

This training is to be offered free of charge to participants.

Black male in 20s or 30s with older black man in kitchen as the two cook dinner
Elderly man and woman work together in garden
Younger adult woman cuts the hair of an aging woman
Middle-aged black woman helps an elderly black woman put her shoes on
Elderly white couple look at computer screen together
Middle-aged Latina woman puts her arm around an elderly white man as she stands behind the seated man
Young white male pushes a middle-aged bearded white man in a wheel chair
A Black middle-aged man laughs with an older black man

Thank you for your interest in the WECARE Curriculum! We hope that this curriculum proves to be a valuable resource for the individuals you serve. Please provide feedback or share your experience with us at info@agingwithdd.com 

For information about the WECARE Curriculum, contact the Association on Aging with Developmental Disabilities at 314-647-8100, info@agingwithdd.com.

   Created in partnership with:
                                                          Funded by: 

Acknowledgments

A special thank you to all involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of WECARE, including the pilot participants, our partners and funder, the WECARE Advisory Committee, AADD and their support staff, and all other collaborators.

Funding for WECARE, an Innovation in Supporting Aging Adults with Developmental Disabilities project in Missouri provided by the Missouri Developmental Disabilities County, was supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1,361,416 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS. 

The contents are those of the author (s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.