Author Nancy Pearce, others speak about how communities can reach out to caregivers
Where: Hospice of the Upstate, 1835 Rogers Road in Anderson
When: 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Cost: Free and open to the public
Information: https://hospicehouse.net
Call: (864) 225-2551 or (864) 245-1694
Go online: www.fpcandersonsc.com
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The day after Nancy Pearce speaks to a group of caregivers at Hospice of the Upstate in Anderson, she will fly to California to help a friend who is caring for her mother.
“I know my friend needs support,” Pearce said. “So I offered. She was gracious enough to say, ‘Yes.’ ”
Not everyone can fly to California to help a friend who is caring for a loved one. But gestures of selfless giving are just what caregivers need — no matter how big or small the gestures are, Pearce said.
As the nation’s baby boomers age and as health-care costs continue to rise, it is becoming more important for people — particularly church congregations— to learn how they can support the caregivers in their midst.
That is why Pearce is coming to Anderson to speak on Tuesday, and it is the reason behind the Rhodes Respite Care program at the First Presbyterian Church in Anderson.
According to the National Center on Caregiving, the nation’s population of those who are 65 or older will more than double between 2000 and 2030, increasing to 71.5 million people from 35.1 million people in 2000.
As the elderly population increases so will the need for caregivers in a professional setting, like a nursing home, and those informal caregivers who are usually family members of the person needing the care.
“There aren’t enough nursing homes to take care of the baby boomers as we age,” Pearce said. “So we have to understand how to draw together and how to nurture one another.”
This is why Pearce has been invited by C3 Elder Connections, Hospice of the Upstate and the Anderson chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association to speak in Anderson.
Pearce will speak about her book, “Inside Alzheimer’s,” at the Hospice of the Upstate from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
She will give caregivers practical advice on how to care for their loved ones if they have dementia or Alzheimer’s, and she will share with those in attendance how they can help the caregivers around them. For more than 20 years, Pearce, a licensed medical social worker, has worked in long-term health care and hospice settings.
The book is a distillation of her professional experience, what she learned while helping care for her family through her own childhood as her mother battled illnesses and what she heard as she interviewed more than 250 caregivers.
“We need to help the caregivers as much as we do those with dementia,” Pearce said. “I learned from those that I interviewed how we can make it work in ways that helps us not only survive but thrive.”
Making sure those who have dementia or Alzheimer’s and those caring for them are thriving is the mission for the Rhodes Respite Care program at First Presbyterian Church. Fred Rhodes, who was a member at First Presbyterian Church, cared for his wife after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Upon his death in 2001, he left the money to start a program that would help give rest to the caregivers in the community. Now, for two days a week the church is a place for caregivers to take their loved ones for four hours of care, said Gail Marion, the program’s director.
It’s particularly a program for those who are in the early to middle stages of Alzheimer’s or dementia, Marion said.
There are seven people who participate in the program now, and there’s room for up to 12 people. Those who want to participate in the program must apply, Marion said. In the four-hour sessions, held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, those being cared for have a chance to sing hymns, participate in activities and exercise.
Pam Leitner, community education coordinator with Hospice of the Upstate, also put out the call to other people of faith to help care for the caregivers around them.
In her 18 years at Hospice of the Upstate, Leitner has seen many caregivers emotionally and physically exhausted. The truth is that many of those who need respite need care to come to them, and those who need help often cannot afford for a trained nurse to come to their homes.
“There’s not much out there for people who don’t have the financial resources to pay for someone to come in,” said Leitner said. “That’s why it so important that the faith community rally to provide respite.”
Leitner echoed Pearce’s comments about the increasing need for the community to help because of an increasing need for caregivers in the home. She said people are living longer now, families are more transient and insurance doesn’t cover the cost of a nursing home or a sitter — unless someone has long-term medical coverage.
All of these factors are pushing up the number of people who are caring for an aging parent or family member with a disability or debilitating illness.
The faith community is best suited to respond to this growing need, Leitner and Pearce said. Friends and neighbors can do this too.
Pearce said the way a group can start to help a caregiver is by coming up with things that would help that caregiver. Maybe offer the caregiver a free lawn mowing, provide a prepared meal or run an errand, Pearce said.
“One of the number one things I heard from caregivers is how important the little things are to them,” Pearce said. “It may be as big as a meal or as small as a message on an answering machine. We need to be willing to open our hearts, and be available to the caregiver for the long haul.
“In this way, we show that they are not alone, that God is present in their lives through our gestures. It can renew a caregiver’s hope and energy.”
