Tuesday Solace provides support for families dealing with Alzheimer’s

By AMY ROGNLIE | Photos courtesy of TUESDAY SOLACE

“About 16 years ago, our parishioners here at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Temple were looking for ways to help our community when we heard about the dementia respite work being done at First Lutheran Church’s Thursday Club,” said Kyla Sherrard, program director for Tuesday Solace. “We felt that this was a need in the community that our particular people could fill, so we trained with both the Alzheimer’s Association and Thursday Club and established Tuesday Solace.”

Since then, the program’s volunteers have faithfully served approximately 150 individuals and their families. Tuesday Solace is a free service supporting families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The program gives caregivers of those with early and mid-stage Alzheimer’s a much-needed break while their loved one is in a safe, stimulating environment.

“This is also a great way for family members to see their loved one actually participating in something,” said Sherrard, who frequently worked with dementia patients in her career in medical speech pathology. “Some of the caregivers love to stay and watch and say things like, ‘I can’t believe Dad is actually talking to someone!’”

The program is conducted every Tuesday, with the exception of holidays, from 1 to 4 p.m. Program activities are broken into segments, offering a balance of structured activity and free time for conversation and refreshment, with all activities selected to engage mind, body and spirit. Care is based on a program designed by the Texas Alzheimer’s Association, and volunteers from St. Francis and other churches are each matched with a participant to provide individual care so participants are never alone.

Each week, participants are guided through a structured program of hymns, a devotional, chair exercises, refreshments (provided by volunteers or caregivers), entertainment or crafts, and games such as bingo or board games.

Participants especially enjoy the entertainers that come on a regular basis. Regular entertainment includes the Sammons’ Hartman Line Dancers and the fan favorite Sammons’ Silver Beats group, which combines upper-body exercises with drumsticks, balls and catchy music that is familiar to the participants. Other regular entertainers include Tom Stringfellow and the Settin’ Sons as well as singing groups and other local musicians.

The “meal between lunch and dinner” is a popular part of the day at Tuesday Solace and includes healthy choices, as well as a dessert.

Participants may choose what they want to eat, while volunteers stay watchful of each participant’s health needs such as diabetes or gluten-free requirements.

“It’s so gratifying to see how much the participants enjoy the program. After missing even one week, they hug us and tell us how much they missed us,” Sherrard said.

Some participants continue to attend the program even after they are moved to a memory care facility.

“Their caregivers will pick them up from the facility and bring them on Tuesdays. They miss their friends and are so delighted to see them each week.”

Tuesday Solace is a much a ministry to caregivers as it is to the program participants. Providing a safe place for those with dementia to engage in group activities, while allowing the families/caregivers to run an errand, read a book, take care of business, or take a nap without worrying about their loved one is a valuable service to our community.

“We also provide information and resources for caregivers,” Sherrard added. “We try to help them learn how best to communicate with their loved one who has dementia, especially helping them avoid arguments.”

Since the pandemic, attendance at Tuesday Solace has been much lower than usual. Sherrard and her volunteers hope to grow their participant numbers as well as provide more educational opportunities for their volunteers.

Continuing education of the volunteers through organizations such as the local Agency for Aging, which has always been a staunch supporter of Tuesday Solace, helps volunteers do their best to ensure that every participant is fully engaged.

“We welcome families/caregivers of dementia survivors to visit and see what we do on a weekly basis to keep their loved one interactive and engaged,” Sherrard said.

TUESDAY SOLACE
Address: 5001 Hickory Road, Temple
Phone: 254-773-4255, ext. 1
Email: stfrancistempletx@gmail.com