This has never been done before. Until now, there has been no safety net for caregivers when they needed help in an emergency.

There is a state-wide shortage of facilities with the capacity to provide care for residents with difficult dementia symptoms. Families in crisis are often left with no options.

“If you are a caregiver in crisis, we have very few immediate resources to offer. We feel helpless,” said Shelley Reukauf of the Iowa County Adult Protective Services.

The problem of dementia crisis has grown as our baby boomers are entering the ages where dementia is more prevalent....