After residing at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church for more than 22 years, The ARK of SC has moved into its beautiful, expanded, dedicated home.
Peg Lahmeyer, founder and executive director, started The ARK in 1996, originally as a community outreach program of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Summerville.
This move has given The ARK the much-needed space to provide the quality and quantity of service that the target population so desperately needs, while creating a more visible presence in our community.
Awareness
Over time, Alzheimer’s awareness has become more prevalent. In our day-to-day conversations, many of us begin to realize that we know someone who is battling this debilitating disease.
Some may ask, what is Alzheimer’s disease? According to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, “Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that impacts memory, thinking and language skills, and the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia.
Dementia itself is not a disease, but a term used to describe symptoms such as loss of memory, loss of judgment and other intellectual functions.”
There are nearly 10,000 individuals with Alzheimer’s or related dementia (ADRD) in our five-county service area (Charleston, Dorchester, Berkeley, Colleton and Orangeburg county).
Nearly 80 percent of the individuals with ADRD live in the community and are cared for by family members, with the majority able to participate in social respite programs.
Socialization and support are key to helping the family enhance their quality of life. This helps postpone difficult long-term care decisions. In 2018, there were 313,000 unpaid ADRD family caregivers in South Carolina who provided 357 million hours of unpaid care.
Twenty-five percent of ADRD caregivers are in the “sandwich generation,” meaning they are caring for an aging parent as well as children.
The families are isolated and overwhelmed. Most are homebound with very little social interaction with others.
I have seen first-hand how this disease not only affects your love one, but the entire family. Being a caregiver is a full-time job, not to mention many caregivers are still in the workforce.
As a caregiver, your loved one’s day to day tasks, that we sometimes take for granted, become a part of your routine.
So often at The ARK when we first meet caregivers, they are withdrawn, stressed, afraid to ask for help and may feel like they are alone on this journey. After meeting with them and sharing our resources, you can see the sense of hope appear on their faces.
The services that we offer to the community are very unique. Our social respite program is offered in Summerville Monday-Thursday and Harleyville on Wednesday to give family caregivers a much-needed break from the stress of around-the-clock caregiving.
Respite programs also keep loved ones with memory issues connected to their community through fellowship, meaningful activities and fun that enhances their independence and self-esteem.
Some of my favorite times at The ARK come from the days I work in our social respite program. Being able to see the impact we make on the care-receivers life is remarkable.
The purpose of our services is to provide relief from day to day caregiving responsibilities, understanding, a shoulder to lean on, and hope.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to interview one of our caregivers. Her mother has been attending The ARK’s social respite program for over a year now.
During this time, she expressed what The ARK means to her and her family.
“The ARK has been a lifesaver for my family and me. It gives my mom a chance to socialize, become more active, and fellowship with other people while it allows me a chance to relax and just have some time to myself,” she told me.
At The ARK, our primary goal is to be a resource for family caregivers. If that is not our social respite program, it may be an educational class or one of our four support groups.
We offer a six week, evidence based educational class called Powerful Tools For Caregivers (PTC) at no charge.
These classes give family caregivers tips and tools to take care of themselves while caring for a loved one with a chronic illness.
During the six weeks, caregivers begin to open up and feel comfortable about sharing their experiences from their caregiving journey.
A caregiver expressed how this class helped their family by stating, “after attending your Powerful Tools for Caregivers class, I was able to communicate my feelings to my family and put closure to our conflict.”
Additional services at The ARK would include caregiver consultations, corporate lunch and learns, and law enforcement/first-responders training.
The Navigation Club
We are excited to announce that we will be launching our new program, The Navigation Club. This club is for anyone concerned about their memory who wants to learn about brain health and improving their memory.
The Navigation Club’s mission is to support brain health through engaging members in five important content areas: socialization, mental stimulation, physical activity, spirituality and nutrition.
These classes will be facilitated by a coordinator who is knowledgeable about memory loss and how to maintain a healthy brain.
Guest speakers will be invited to speak on topics members are interested in that will promote brain health.
Structured classes will encourage club member participation. Tools will be given to create opportunities to practice at home.
Alzheimer’s is a cause that is near and dear to my heart. I have seen the challenges and strength it takes to be a family caregiver.
Often I get asked why I love my job, my answer is simple. Every day I get to see how The ARK is making a difference for families throughout the Lowcountry.
It is such a rewarding feeling being able to see caregivers and their care-receivers thrive while on their journey.
If you or a loved one is looking for more information about The ARK’s services, contact us today.
