Grace Lutheran Church offers monthly respite care program for senior citizens, caretakers
Members of a Vestal church are opening their doors once a month for senior citizens with Alzheimer’s and other age-related issues so that those who care for them can get some time off.
“Being older is a lonely job,” said Nancy Warner, a volunteer, church member and senior citizen herself. “We are here to laugh and to love, and to meet other people the same age.”
Warner is a regular volunteer at Grace’s Place, a free respite care program held the second Saturday of each month at Grace Lutheran Church in Vestal. Senior citizens with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia or other age-related issues can spend the afternoon at the church. They can listen to music, exercise, enjoy some snacks, play games such as bingo, corn hole and bean bag tossing, and participate in crafts.
“They get to socialize with one another,” said the church’s pastor, the Rev. Jake Bellinghausen.
While the volunteers take care of the senior citizens, their family members who care for them can take the afternoon off and get a much-needed break from caregiving, the pastor said.
“They really enjoy that three-hour break they might not get to have,” Bellinghausen said of the caregivers. “Having one during the weekend allows them to have a little time to themselves.”
The program has been in place at the church for several years but temporarily shut down in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began, Bellinghausen said. Grace’s Place started up again last October.
Attendance varies depending on the month, the pastor said. On a recent Saturday afternoon, three senior citizens attended the program. He’s hoping that more seniors will attend the program in the future.
The senior citizens who attended were greeted by friendly volunteers such as Barbara Baker, who leads participants in a 10-minute routine of chair exercises. She looks forward to volunteering at Grace’s Place every month.
“It’s fun,” Baker said. “The people are just delightful.”
Not all volunteers are senior citizens. A few volunteers come from the nearby Binghamton University campus just down the road from the church, including Keenan McDermott, a mechanical engineering major and Binghamton University sophomore. The Kingston native said he wanted to help out at Grace’s Place because he has had family members with Alzheimer’s.
“Alzheimer’s affects a lot of people,” he said, including the person with the disease and their whole family.
McDermott said he enjoys volunteering at the program and supporting the seniors who attend.
“It’s fulfilling for me but also fun for them,” he said of the seniors.
Grace’s Place is a way for church members to minister to the needs of the seniors who attend the program as well as the caregivers who need a break, Bellinghausen said.
“It’s important to have ministries to those in need,” he said. “As Christians, we are called to care for our neighbors and love one another.”
Warner agreed with her pastor.
“Church isn’t always come and worship our God,” she said. “It’s to help other people and to be there for people.”
For more information
Grace’s Place provides respite care for caregivers of elderly residents with Alzheimer’s and other age-related issues from 1 to 4 p.m. the second Saturday of every month at Grace Lutheran Church, 709 Main St. in Vestal. The program is free to Broome County residents. To learn more, go online to gracelutheranchurchvestal.com/graces-place.html, email gracevestal709@gmail.com or call the church at 607-748-0840.
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This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Grace Lutheran Church in Vestal offers monthly respite care program
