Eight Steps for Planning a Dementia Caregiver Support Group
Mary McDaniel Cail outlines eight essential steps to help your church create an effective group for those caring for loved ones with dementia.
November 20, 2024
Mary McDaniel Cail outlines eight essential steps to help your church create an effective group for those caring for loved ones with dementia.
Honoring Kent McNish’s service as ENCORE Ministry’s founding executive director, the Kent McNish Fund for Older Adult Food Security was established.
Free webinar on August 29, 2023, helps families navigate dementia journey (will also be recorded and posted).
Sunny Day Club® provides respite for family caregivers and a regular outing for loved ones in the early stages of memory loss.
SeniorHousingNet is an online platform that allows users to search for asisted living and long term care homes for seniors.
Free workshops and programs featuring topics ranging from defining dementias, caregiver support, transitions in care, advanced directives, disaster planning, legal issues, and mental health support are available from the TN Department of Health and The University of Tennessee Chattanoog School of Nursing.
Advance care planning is important for adults at any age. During an emergency or at the end of life, you or your loved ones may not be capable of making decisions about medical care.
For more than 45 years, Mountain T.O.P. (Tennessee Outreach Project) has offered home repair and day camp programs to individuals and families experiencing persistent poverty in Cumberland Mountain counties. As in many rural places, fewer resources exist for older adults and community-wide issues such as food insecurity and health-related emergencies tend to overshadow older adults’ physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
A $20,000 grant from ENCORE Ministry this year helped increase services to that older population.
Sooner or later, everyone endures bereavement — the experience of the death of a loved one. Our emotional response to bereavement is grief, a personal experience whose duration and depth can vary from individual to individual. Some people recover quickly from a loss and move on. Other people grieve intensely for a short period before finding peace while other individuals feel profound grief for years.
With 65 percent of active members older than 65, Millington (Tennessee) First United Methodist Church (FUMC) is a graying congregation. However, the church is located in a diverse neighborhood with a high school, intermediate school, and single-family starter homes. In March, church members began an inter-generational outreach ministry — pickleball for all ages.
The ENCORE Ministry Foundation provided a grant to First United Methodist in Columbia, Tennessee, to help fund their feeding ministry, the People’s Table. Since 2004, the People’s Table ministry serves meals to neighbors in need every Tuesday evening and Friday afternoon, providing nourishment, love, and hope to the homeless, elderly, families, and individuals struggling to make ends meet. However, the need in the community is growing. With the closure of a local battery plant and reductions in SNAP benefits, more families are facing food insecurity.
Together, we can be the hands and feet of Jesus, feeding the hungry, caring for the vulnerable, and showing love to those who need it most. Every dollar you give to the Kent and Ellen McNish Fund for Older Adult Food Security helps feeding ministries stretch resources and serve more meals to those in need. Donate today and help support life-changing feeding ministries like the People’s Table.