Caretaker’s Cottage, When Pigs FlySince 2010, it has been my survivor’s mission and vision-in-action to support weary dementia caregivers in ways my own dementia-care journey lacked. We built wheelchair-accessible gardens – The MargFMac Front Garden Loop (0.1 mile) in 2011. We began hosting monthly Sunday Strolls in 2013. We expanded the program in 2015 to offer, on the same Sundays, once-a-month, a Sunday Stroll and Memory Café. In 2016 I began offering weary caregivers a 2-hour Guided Respite Retreat, free-of-charge, by appointment. This January 2017, we will begin hosting a monthly caregiver support group for Younger Onset Caregivers, at our Caretaker’s Cottage. Referrals will be made from the Alzheimer’s Association website and 24/7 Helpline (1-800-272-3900), local family doctors, nurses & social workers, geriatric and geri-psychiatry physicians, spiritual-care & holistic-care professionals, faith-based organizations, other caregiver support group facilitators, and by word-of-mouth. Please read the details below and share with local (North Shore, Merrimack Valley, Southern NH) Younger Onset Caregivers who may benefit.
“Younger Onset Caregiver” refers to caregivers journeying with a loved one with a dementia and assumes:
1. The caregiver is younger than 65 years old
2. AND The person living with dementia’s symptoms (i.e. memory loss) began before they turned 65 years old. First meeting will be held January 12, 2017
NEW ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION SPONSORED SUPPORT GROUP: Topsfield Younger Onset Caregivers Group
2nd Thursday of the month, 6:30-8pm
Meets at Rest.Stop.Ranch Caretaker’s Cottage
(the home of Mary E MacDonald and Karl R Ackerman)
202 Haverhill Road, Topsfield, MA 01983
Free-of-charge and Open to the Public by RSVP ONLY RSVP is Required. Group size is limited to 10 people and 10 cars.
Call or Email Mary E MacDonald:
email: mary@marymacmissions.com; phone: 978-887-4202
Moving forward with a listening heart,
vision, inquiry, and action,
~ Mary
