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A helping hand for caregivers

The Evening Tribune - 4/7/2018

April 07--The Evening Tribune

HORNELL -- It may sound awful to say, but caring for a loved one with early to moderate Alzheimer's disease or other form of dementia can be a daunting task.

The selfless people who amend their lifestyle, work schedules and family time in order to give care can sometimes be overwhelmed with the time consuming task, often sacrificing their own ability to lead functional lives. To help give them a break, a coalition of Hornell area churches and non-profit advocacy group for the aging Faith In Action, have implemented new programs to occupy and enrich the lives of Alzheimer's patients for 4 hours each week.

The "Give Them a Break" program -- a caregiver respite drop-in center, is hosted in two locations on alternating Thursdays, at the First Baptist Church and The United Methodist Church, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Activities provided by volunteers from all three organizations, and include supervised activities like games, crafts, gentle exercise and music. Lunch is also provided.

"It gives the caregivers a little break, whether it's having lunch, getting groceries, going to their own appointments, or just spending time alone, it allows them to do the things they want to do," said Faith in Action Project Coordinator, Angela Jenkins.

The program was prompted by in home visitations conducted by Faith In Action volunteers, who discovered that caregivers needed time to accomplish their own errands.

The hope is to be able to expand the program to even more locations around Steuben County.

For those who volunteer with the program, the "heart warming" experience is worth the four hours a week.

Carolyn Wallace, a volunteer with Faith in Action has walked in the footsteps of caregivers, caring for her mother who passed away last year.

"We realized the need to have that break because we were there all the time, it gets difficult," she said.

When Wallace heard of the program, she was eager to help out where she could, and found it to be quite rewarding.

"To see the progression, that (the client) and their husband or wife doesn't have to worry about dropping them off is rewarding," she said. "It's great to know that the caregiver is getting a break from worrying about the person they're caring for."

When clients are able to remember how much they enjoyed going to the last "Give them a Break" session, "It just makes your heart over-full," Wallace said.

After retiring from the Veterans Administration and seeing people with Alzheimer's deteriorate, a First Baptist Church volunteer Cindy Dunham jumped at the chance to get involved.

"If you keep them active and keep their brains going, it helps them physically and mentally," she said. "I always have fun, when the pastor brought it up, I asked 'can we start tomorrow?'"

It's the philosophy of the churches to reach out into the community when ever possible, but Give Them a Break is of particular importance.

"We want to keep our people healthy," Dunham said.

For the clients, it's often the highlight of their day, being able to get some social interaction outside of their caregiver, hanging out, playing games and telling stories.

"They have so much history to tell us," Dunham said.

Give Them a Break is always in need of volunteers and clients. For more information on how to get involved or take advantage of the program, call the Faith in Action office at 607-324-1138, or email respite@fiasteuben.org.

Prior approval to determine the independence level of participants is required. A suggested donation of $30 is accepted but not required.

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(c)2018 The Evening Tribune, Hornell, N.Y.

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