CONTACT: Abbey Hunton, aahunton@alz.org
 

Muslim Mindset Academy, LLC Receives Alzheimer’s Association Grant to Improve Respite Care for People Living with Dementia and Their Caregivers in New Jersey

FLORHAM PARK, NJ, August 25, 2025 — Muslim Mindset Academy, LLC, has been awarded $100,000 from the Alzheimer’s Association Center for Dementia Respite Innovation (CDRI), which was established to enhance the quality and availability of dementia-specific respite care for people living with dementia and their caregivers in New Jersey.

Muslim Mindset Academy is one of 41 recipients selected to receive grant funding from a pool of more than 200 applicants across the country. Funds will be used to support the Academy's Compassionate Relief Program, which is a faith-informed respite program for Muslim dementia caregivers. The Program aims to reach more individuals, and offer respite care and caregiver support within Muslim communities impacted by Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. 

“We are excited to be included in this elite group of community-based service providers,” said Ameer Soliman, PharmD, Co-Founder and Director of Operations, Muslim Mindset Academy “Caring for someone living with dementia can be overwhelming. This grant will help us provide much needed dementia-specific respite care and services for people living with dementia and their caregivers, specifically in the Muslim community in New Jersey. Through this grant, Muslim Mindset Academy will aim to launch culturally sensitive respite support services specifically designed for caregivers of Muslim dementia patients—which is currently an unmet, underrepresented need.” 

In conjunction with the grant, Muslim Mindset Academy will also receive online training and ongoing technical assistance from the CDRI to ensure respite services are dementia-capable and to support sustainability. The CDRI will also collect data and evaluate the impact of these innovative projects from all grant recipients to inform public policy.

“We congratulate Dr. Soliman, Director of Operations and Founder Imran Khan and the entire Muslim Mindset Academy on this grant and look forward to working with its team to help enhance respite care services for local dementia caregivers,” said Sam Fazio, Ph.D., vice president care and support programs and research, Alzheimer’s Association. “We intend to gain insights from each respite program we fund, ultimately developing a catalog of programs, tools and resources that will be easily accessible to interested caregivers and care providers.” 

In New Jersey, there are currently 185,300 individuals 65 and older who are living with Alzheimer’s and another 279,000 providing unpaid care for their loved ones. With the impact of this disease only projected to increase in the years ahead, and with a growing number of younger individuals—under age 65—being diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, it's vital that every New Jerseyan, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or cultural background, has access to timely diagnosis, accurate information, and culturally sensitive, supportive care. The Alzheimer’s Association remains committed to working with communities across all cultures to ensure that no one faces this disease alone.

“Our team in New Jersey looks forward to our ongoing collaboration with Dr. Soliman to reach, support, and educate more residents across the state who are impacted by, at risk for, or otherwise touched by Dementia,” said Paul Irwin-Dudek, Executive Director, Alzheimer’s Association Greater New Jersey Chapter. “We are especially pleased to be building a meaningful partnership with the Muslim Mindset Academy through this grant. Their work exemplifies the kind of culturally responsive programming that helps us reach more faith-based communities throughout the Garden State. This grant is an important step forward in our mission to ensure that all New Jerseyans impacted by dementia receive the support and care they deserve.” 

The Alzheimer’s Association created the CDRI in 2024 after receiving a $25 million grant from the Administration for Community Living (ACL), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Over the next four years, the CDRI will provide $25 million in grant funding to local respite providers and organizations to enhance the quality and availability of respite care nationwide. Visit alz.org/cdri to see the full list of this year’s grant recipients.

Funding disclosure
This project is 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 $13,261,685 with 75 percent funded by ACL/HHS and $3,285,728 amount with 25 percent funded by non-government source(s). 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.