Della Juliano serves as the Health and Caregiver Educator for UPCAP – the Upper Peninsula Commission for Area Progress, a non-profit organization designated as Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Agency on Aging. From her base in Escanaba, Della supports all 15 counties of the Upper Peninsula, offering critical resources and programs for caregivers and families.
UPCAP’s offerings include services like UP Food as Medicine, long-term care programs, housing support, and a new online caregiver resource program. Additionally, UPCAP manages the 211 informational call center, connecting individuals across the UP to caregiving resources and support.
For Della, dementia care is personal:
“Dementia care is very near and dear to my heart. My mother had dementia. Four of her six brothers and sisters have or had dementia, their mother had dementia, and it’s likely her mother had dementia. In addition, I worked at two long-term care/skilled care facilities as a nurse, where there were many residents with dementia. In both instances, I recognized a great need for a better understanding of dementia and dementia care.”
Della’s guiding principle is simple but powerful:
“Every day, I tell myself if I can help one person, I am successful.”
As a one-person department, Della supports more than 150 caregivers annually across the UP, the majority of whom are family members caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. Her efforts address a critical gap in education and resources, especially in a region where rural isolation often limits access to specialized training and support.
Della highlights the challenges of serving such a vast area:
“The biggest challenge to serving the UP is covering the distance in 15 counties. It’s a lot of area to cover with limited resources, and being a one-person staff, there is not enough time in the day. There are just so many people out there that need help. There’s no good way to hop on a bus and go to a class here. But COVID taught us to utilize Zoom, and now most of my education is done online. It’s been a great resource.”
Della discovered the NCCDP (National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners) through an online search, and the CADDCT (Certified Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainer) training was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. With this certification, she is now equipped to extend her impact, offering dementia training not only to family caregivers but also to professional caregivers across the UP.
Her ultimate goal remains the same: to reach as many caregivers as possible. Through her work with UPCAP and the support of tools like CADDCT training, Della is making a profound difference in the lives of families navigating dementia care in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
For more information, visit UPCAP’s website:
https://upcap.org/
UPCAP’s UPCaregiver Resource Center is currently under construction, so there are two different links:
https://upcap.org/program/upper-peninsula-caregiver-resource-center/
https://upcap.org/caregiver-resource-center/
U.P. 211 Call Center
https://upcap.org/program/u-p-2-1-1-call-center/
Long Term Care Programs
https://upcap.org/program/long-term-care-programs/
U.P. Food As Medicine
https://upcap.org/program/food-as-medicine/
