UMC Dementia Ministries Summit Held

For the past year, Daphne Johnston and Bishop Lawson Bryan, an RFA board member, have been part of the planning committee creating a Dementia Ministries Network within the United Methodist Church, and RFA was well represented at the first in-person gathering of this network held in November at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center in North Carolina. RFA Board President Lynn Beshear joined Daphne and Lawson to listen and learn from the sixty summit attendees about different dementia ministries in action while also sharing the story of Respite for All as a successful, sustainable model of care for individuals living with dementia and their caregivers.

We were thankful that two of our new board members for 2024, Dr. Fayron Epps and Anne Warren, also attended. While there, Fayron gave a presentation on Alter, which has a mission of inspiring faith-based organizations anchored in African-American churches to better support families affected by dementia. In addition, Katie Holland, director of the Respite Ministry at FUMC Dothan, told the summit gathering about Rosemary House, a new resource for caregivers. 

Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease

RFA’s Daphne Johnston has been appointed by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey to serve on the Governor’s Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease. The task force is charged with developing recommendations for addressing a growing need for dementia care, and their work will involve developing and disseminating strategies, resources and guidance to better serve the affected population while considering methods to increase public awareness and build support for family caregivers.

The mission of the Respite for All Foundation is to inspire, grow, and mentor Respite Volunteer Ministries for communities seeking to minister to persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia disorders through education and shared best practices. Visit RespiteforAll.org to learn more.