Maude’s Awards celebrates and inspires innovative practices that enrich the quality of life for persons living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias and that of their care partners. Eight monetary awards will be made each year—three $25,000 awards to organizations and five $5,000 awards to individuals. The deadline to apply for this year’s Maude’s Awards is May 31, 2020. Learn more here.

Maude and Richard Ferry have lived the American dream, recently celebrating their 64th wedding anniversary.

Richard, being the successful corporate business leader, co-founded Korn Ferry International which became the world’s premier provider of executive human capital solutions. And Maude, being the matriarch extraordinaire, loving, supportive and devoted wife, community volunteer and dedicated mother of six, grandmother to 12 and great grandmother of three. Maude is graceful, elegant, outgoing, smart, loyal, and so much more.  

In early 2011, things began to change for this family whose foundation is deeply rooted in their love and faith. At first, it was the grasp on words and sentences, then relinquishing household chores and driving soon followed. Initially, it was chalked up to forgetfulness and those “senior moments” we sometimes experience. However, after exhaustive medical evaluations to find out what was happening, to rule out medical conditions such as a mini-stroke and aphasia, tests finally concluded that Maude had dementia.

Life went on though, with travel, entertaining, golf and many other everyday activities until a day later in 2013 that changed everything. It was the first week of a six-week vacation stay in the California desert and it was clear things had progressed beyond the everyday.

To say that Richard has done his due diligence to learn more about his new role as a care partner, is an understatement. He has met with individuals and organizations, read everything he could get his hands on, attended symposiums, all in an effort to help Maude.

 “It’s been there with me since the day we determined she had the illness,” said Richard. “I always had a desire to find something new and innovative to bring joy and happiness to Maude’s life. I kept searching and challenging people. How do we care for the individuals who are struggling with the illness, what can we do for them as the illness advances? I didn’t find the answer I was looking for,” said Richard. 

His search led him to create Maude’s Awards.

Richard started Maude’s Awards in 2019 to create a dialogue to help care for the individuals and family members, the care partners who are dealing with the illness.

 This new program is gathering details of innovative practices to share with the wider dementia care community. One such innovation that Richard found was adaptive clothing to make dressing Maude an easier task. This clothing utilized open back dressing. Richard said it has made an amazing difference.

Maude’s Awards is now accepting applications for innovative care practices. This program of the Richard and Maude Ferry Foundation will make eight annual awards – three $25,000 awards to organizations and five $5,000 awards to individuals – for innovations excelling in one of four categories of care. These are awards for existing programs, products, or practices.

“Grant-making is clearly an important part of my life, and Maude’s Awards is on the top of the list of the grant-making activities this year,” said Richard.

More information, category descriptions and applications can be found at www.MaudesAwards.org

Maude’s Awards is intended to be a lasting legacy of comfort and innovative ideas. “I thought if there were a way to stimulate the wider Alzheimer’s care community to share their ideas, we could pass them on to others to enhance the lives of loved ones and care partners everywhere.”

Applications will be accepted through May 31, 2020, and the awards for this inaugural year will be announced in September 2020.

“It was a distant dream we had. Our focus is on care while we are waiting for a cure,” said Richard.