A ministry for memory loss

Walking into Encore Respite Ministry, it is hard to tell the difference between participants and volunteers.

Instead of a segmented group, there is a collection of about 20 people playing games, doing artwork and having fun.

“People will say, ‘Who is a participant?’ and I’ll say, ‘I’m not telling you,’” said Valerie Boyd, director of senior adult ministries at Canterbury United Methodist Church.

Encore Respite Ministry, a program designed to empower individuals with memory loss, launched at Canterbury in June following nine months of brainstorming and planning.

The idea developed from Canterbury’s support group for caregivers of individuals with memory loss, Boyd said. Members of the support group kept asking to develop a daycare for adults with memory loss, but Boyd said that seemed like a far-off goal. 

But last fall, Boyd visited an adult daycare facility in Montgomery with Miller Piggott, executive director of Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama. 

“I knew immediately, ‘Oh, my gosh, this was something we could do,’ because I could see it not just for the participant, but for the caregiver; it changed their life on so many levels,” Boyd said.

Boyd started working with Canterbury UMC to develop a program, and they brought on Program Director Patti Williams and family and community educator Kristen Snell as part of the team.

Encore provides multiple community resources, including a bi-weekly participant program. It’s four hours a day and includes activities such as balloon volleyball for developing hand-eye coordination and discussions on “Who would you rather have dinner with?” to foster friendships.

“You have an outlined plan of what is good in a day for people who have memory loss, and things like art, music, trivia and games — those things that really stimulate their minds — and then exercise, too,” Williams said. 

Participants also are able to give back through Canterbury’s “My Little Brown Bag” program, where they help pack snack bags. The bags are then given out when families come to pick up bags of groceries at the church.

“These are folks who have been so involved in the community and doing things for their whole lives, and all of a sudden they can’t do anything anymore,” Williams said.

Most older adults are aware of the presence of daycare facilities, so Encore aims to keep participants involved to where they feel like they’re being engaged and not being led around.

“They get to participate, and it’s more language like, ‘Let’s get something to drink,’ or ‘let’s get something to eat’ … It’s not so much being told what to do,” Boyd said.

Any activities work to keep participants engaged and energized, Boyd said, and volunteers help encourage participants throughout the activities.

“They might not remember what we did, but they’ll say, ‘They really love me over there,’” Snell said. 

Family members and caregivers also have said participants tend to sleep better, seem more engaged and are less agitated when they come home. Because bringing a loved one to a program like Encore can be difficult, Williams said they allow caregivers to stick around to observe the program.

It does not take long for them to realize the benefits of the program and feel safe leaving their loved ones, she said.

“Of course for the participant that comes, there’s no comparison in the engagement and the stimulation they get in a respite program, as opposed to sitting at home and watching the TV,” Williams said.

In addition to a caregiver support group that is held every Thursday at 10 a.m., Boyd said Encore’s participant program helps give caregivers what is often-needed time to themselves.

“Their caregiver gets a comfort level, and they’re able to take some time for their own doctor’s appointments and take care of their own personal needs,” she said.

Even after participants no longer qualify for the program, Williams said Encore will continue to provide help to families through resources and contacts for the long haul.

“We’re holding hands now for forever,” she said. “We’re not letting go if they get to the point where they don’t qualify to be part of this program anymore.”

The participant program is one-on-one with volunteers and participants, and Boyd said she has seen the program positively affect more than just the participants and their families.

“I have seen some of the volunteers of people that I know are in the church, I’ve seen them open up,” she said. “I’ve seen them participating like they’ve never participating before. …The laughing is just infectious. To see the light in their eyes, to see them helping another person paint a picture or do volleyball and just know they’re helping someone else, it’s amazing.”

While Encore is housed at Canterbury UMC, it is open to participants of all faith backgrounds, denominations and church affiliations. The same goes for their volunteer positions, Boyd said. 

“We want everyone to be involved in this,” Boyd said. “We want volunteers from the community; we want this to be a community project.”

The next volunteer training session is set for Sept. 19, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. 

While there is a fee of $40 per day, Encore runs mostly on donations for training and supplies. To learn more about Encore Respite Ministry or to give a donation, go to encorerespite.org.