Mobility spells relief for rural caregivers
Why one respite program hit the road’
It wasn’t long before the Newaygo County Community Mental Health Services and the Newaygo County Commission on the Aging in White Cloud, MI, realized that most of the family members caring for an elderly loved one with dementia in this large, rural county weren’t able to take advantage of the respite program in White Cloud.
"We provide most of the transportation of the elderly to the respite program. The transport problems are huge when you’re covering such a wide geographical range," says Terry Ekkens, MA, CSW, program coordinator for the Mobile Group Respite Program. "We got the idea that if we set up sites in different corners of the county, we could reach more caregivers." And with that one simple inspiration, the Mobile Group Respite Program was born. It received needed meeting space from a variety of community groups, Ekkens says. "One respite site is a room loaned us by a local church. Another site is a recreation room at a retirement village."
The Mobile Group Respite Program maintains a staff-to-participant ratio of one to three by supplementing its paid professional staff with volunteer help. "Staff members keep all the supplies they need in the back of their cars and vans and relocate as the need arises," Ekkens explains. "We don’t always use all four sites. It really depends on where the clients are that need service at any given time. We have a very flexible staff. From week to week, they must be willing to change where they work.
"From my own standpoint, I really value the prevention aspects of the program. If we didn’t have supports in place, we’d be seeing many more people at Newaygo County Community Mental Health Services to help them handle their elderly loved ones with dementia. We’d also have many more nursing home placements."
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