A $10,000 grant has given the nonprofit South Carolina Respite Coalition an added boost in its mission to provide families dealing with Alzheimer's disease with care and assistance.

The state Alzheimer's Resource Coordination Center awarded the grant, which will support a new program to engage volunteers from churches in providing respite care and help to families dealing with the degenerative disease in Orangeburg, Calhoun, Sumter, Kershaw, Saluda, Richland, Lexington, Newberry and Fairfield counties.

"The work that the South Carolina Respite Coalition is doing is extremely important to the people in these communities who are caring for a loved one suffering from this terrible disease," Lt. Governor Andre Bauer said. "It's a good investment in South Carolina seniors and their families, and we are proud to support them with this grant."

The ARCC, part of the South Carolina Lt. Governor's Office on Aging, was created to provide statewide coordination, service system development, information and referral and caregiver support services to individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, their families and caregivers.

The South Carolina Respite Coalition works statewide to increase awareness of the need for respite care and expand respite services for family caregivers in the state.

SCRC Executive Director Susan Carlton said while specific churches have not been lined up to receive funds yet, an informational conference for faith community leaders and pastors will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, at the Saxe Gothe Presbyterian Church in Lexington. The theme for the event is "Respite Solutions: The Faith Community's Role in Family Caregiving."

"The current thrust of the S.C. Respite Coalition is to raise awareness in faith communities of the family caregivers in their midst," Carlton said. "Supporting the spiritual life of family caregivers and dependent loved ones is part of the mission of faith groups."

She said caregivers must be able to trust the respite care provider, with the faith community already doing many expandable programs designed to serve caregivers. She said pastors and pastoral visitors are the "gatekeepers" who can play a vital role in training family caregivers to ask for and make use of help and can "develop innovative programs that government can not do."

Carlton said caregivers of individuals battling mental illness are also included in the upcoming conference.

"I think people are becoming very aware of the issue of dementia. That is a huge, difficult and challenging caregiving task, but I don't think people are conscious that it's affecting a lot of other populations, too," she said. "We want to be a voice for all caregivers no matter what their age. Even though we're doing better, we still are not where we really should be for that population. We need that, what we've got for those people struggling with dementia patients."

David Lucas, public information coordinator in the Lt. Governor's Office on Aging, said the need is great.

"The people that are providing care, typically it's a full-time job in and of itself," he said. "The more programs we can get started, the better. It's a good investment."

For more information about the ARCC grant-supported respite program or SCRC's other programs, call 803-935-5027. For conference registration or sponsorship information, call 803-935-5027 or 1-866-345-6786 or e-mail screspitecoalition@yahoo.com.

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