After witnessing a friend’s hardships as a caregiver for her Alzheimer’s-stricken husband, an islander, with help from others, is creating a respite program enabling caregivers to take time for themselves while their loved ones are looked after.

In an interview last week, islander Lynne Ameling explained that the Vashon Elders’ Arts, Activities and Respite Program will be held once a week at Vashon Lutheran Church beginning in May. Caregivers will be able to drop off their loved ones at the church, where licensed caregivers and volunteers will oversee activities from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Tuesday. Those in the program will attend the Music Mends Minds session at Vashon Community Care (VCC), have a lunch from the senior center or bring their own and participate in art and physical exercise activities. The cost will be $55 per day; a senior center lunch would be an additional $4.

“If you are someone who has medical needs and are taking care of someone with serious needs, it’s just impossible to take care of yourself,” Ameling said. “And in-home care is around $25 per hour on average; it’s prohibitively expensive.”

She noted that the program is not just for those with Alzheimer’s, but for anyone who suffers from a condition that requires them to have a caregiver at all times.

The program will aim to fill a need that had previously been served by VCC’s adult day health program, called Break Time, which ended in June of 2016 after 27 years. At the time the program ended, VCC officials said participation had dwindled to only two regular attendees, making the program financially unsustainable.

But Ameling said she believes there is a need and the suspension of Break Time has caused “a big problem.” She has been intimately familiar with the experience of caregivers. Her friend, Leslie Perry, has been caring for her husband, who has Alzheimer’s, for the past year and a half.

Perry said she took advantage of VCC’s Break Time program for about four months before it was discontinued.

“The caregiver plight is real. Not many people are with the same person 24/7,” she said, explaining that she is getting over a case of pneumonia and being a caregiver for her husband makes it tough for her to leave, even for doctors’ appointments. “We’re trying to bridge the finance gap and … create another program in the Vashon way of neighbors helping neighbors.”

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, nearly 18 percent of Vashon’s population is over the age of 65. Meanwhile, the Alzheimer’s Association reports 10 percent of people ages 65 and older suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease, meaning approximately 200 people on Vashon could be suffering from the disease and require 24/7 care.

Both Perry and Ameling talked about the difficulty of handing over a loved one to a caregiver, even for a few hours, but ensured there will be no judgement or repercussions at the program.

“People think if they put their loved ones in a program like this they’re admitting that they can’t take care of them,” Ameling said. “That’s not true at all. Part of what we’re doing is trying to normalize this. They and their families need help, and people are very willing to join forces and finances to be able to let these caregivers live their life as well. A program like this makes it possible for Leslie to keep her husband at home.”

Organizers need at least six people to sign up by April 15 with the intention of using the program throughout May.

Contact Lynne Ameling at 567-4662 or Leslie Perry at 463-0992 to sign up.