The Church at Liberty Park plans to soon open a new respite program to help people with dementia and other memory disorders and their caregivers.
Starting October 23, the Pathways at Liberty Park program will provide a place for people with dementia and other memory disorders to meet weekly on Wednesdays from 10am to 2pm to connect, relax and participate in a variety of creative and engaging programs. It is also designed to allow caregivers time to attend to other needs or simply rest.
The program will be similar to respite programs at places like Canterbury United Methodist Church and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Mountain Brook and Asbury United Methodist Church in northern Shelby County, said Leigh Simmons, who will co-direct the program with Diane Watkins.
“We didn’t have to reinvent the wheel,” Watkins said in a press release. “We believe we can create an environment that has already proven successful at other locations. We have a great program of enriching and exciting activities in place and can’t wait to meet and mentor our participants and their counselors.”
This service is designed for people who can sit in groups for a period of time, feed themselves and exercise independently. “This is not only for our own church members, but also for others in the community who would enjoy these social and relationship-building activities,” Simmons said.
Pathways at Liberty Park is part of a larger network of respite programs that adopt a volunteer care model promoted by the Respite For All Foundation. Volunteers are required to complete training before starting. This is a social program and does not require medical training.
The Church at Liberty Park is planning a kickoff event for Monday, September 16, at 11 a.m., featuring a talk by Dr. Rita Jablonski of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Jablonski is a researcher, professor and clinician specializing in neurology and memory and cognitive disorders.
A luncheon will then be served for those who have registered in advance, followed by a presentation by Dr. Renee Harmon, who practiced medicine with her husband, Dr. Harvey Harmon, until an Alzheimer’s diagnosis forced him to retire. Harmon is the author of Surfing the Waves of Alzheimer’s: Principles of Caregiving That Kept Me Upright.
Anyone interested in attending the September 16 kickoff event, including volunteers, should register by September 12 at libertypark.org/pathways.