Why would Roger, who is not a member at Resurrection, show up at the church each week? It all started a few years ago when Roger was approached by staff from Turnstone Center for Children and Adults with Disabilities because they needed someone to lead a group for caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. At the time, Roger was in regular attendance at Turnstone because his wife had Alzheimer’s and she was in the Memory Care Program there.
“There were no support group options out there for Alzheimer’s caregivers,” Roger explains. “I knew this type of support would benefit people, so I learned from Turnstone staff how to lead such a group.”
When Covid hit and it started to get too cold to meet outside at a local park, someone mentioned to Roger that he should check with using Resurrection as a meeting place because the church had been hosting the Memory Café, a group for people with Alzheimer’s that practiced social distancing.
“I contacted Resurrection, and they said that they would be happy to provide a place for us to meet each week,” Roger says. “We’ve been meeting here ever since.”
“There is a world of knowledge that we share with each other in the group,” Roger says. “Hearing that others are going through the same thing means so much when you are on this journey. The fact that we have a regular place to meet means that members have support through very difficult times. Several members have stayed with the group even after the person they cared for passed so that they can continue to share their knowledge and camaraderie.”
The Alzheimer’s Caregiver Group meets each Wednesday at 1:00 pm at RLC and has 25 active members. Anyone who would benefit from participating in the group is welcome to join. There is no fee or registration process. Each week, you can expect a dozen or so caring people to be at the meeting to provide support and information to anyone who is an Alzheimer’s caregiver.
By helping to provide a building that welcomes other’s ministry work, you made space for Roger and Turnstone to create a community of support and encouragement that offers a well of social knowledge and experience for caregivers. Sometimes being an example of God’s acceptance and grace to all can be as simple as making a little room for them. Thank you for being a part of what makes Resurrection!
*In the time since the interview for this story was done, Roger has sadly passed away, but the meetings continue every week.
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