The struggles of being a caregiver to a loved one is one of those little talked about facts of life for many in our community. According to the Alzheimer and Parkinson Association of Indian River County, there are more than 1 million unpaid caregivers in Florida, with one-quarter of those providing upwards of 41 hours of care each week.
As a way to draw attention to the plight of caregivers in Indian River County, Alzheimer and Parkinson board member Trudie Rainone hosted an inaugural Give Me a Break BBQ and Brew Party last Thursday evening at Walking Tree Brewery. The down-home event featured a delicious 14 Bones barbeque dinner, plenty of great beer and wine, and toe-tapping music by the Blue Cypress Bluegrass band. With a nod to the familiar “give me a break” ad jingle, tables held little bowls of KitKat bars and there was even a KitKat-filled piñata.
“I know there are more than 6,000 people who have dementia in Indian River County and I know that a lot of the caregivers don’t have time for themselves,” Rainone explained. “It’s a full-time job. Each caregiver deserves three hours of respite a week. With your help and generosity, we’re going to be able to accomplish that.”
She noted that if a hired caregiver or a CNA could provide in-home respite for three hours each week, that would “give a break” to the caregiver, enabling them to go to church, grocery shopping, the beach or could even just facilitate their having three hours of uninterrupted sleep.
“They could do whatever they want with those hours. That’s their choice,” said Rainone. “We didn’t have the funds at Alzheimer/Parkinson to do that, so I thought that by giving a Give Me a Break awareness party like this, people might support the cause.”
“She’s reinvigorating a program, an expensive program, for us to run,” said Executive Director Peggy Cunningham. “This is going to renew our ability to give in-home respite. She’s putting herself behind something she feels passionate about.”
At January’s Quail Valley Charities event, Rainone purchased a silent-auction item donated by 14 Bones owner Scot Wilke for “dinner at your home for 50 people,” thinking to host a small charitable event. But after Alan Dritenbas, co-owner of Walking Tree Brewery, said they could have the event at their expansive facility, the headcount quickly increased.
“Scot has been so wonderful to work with,” said Rainone. “We thought it might end up being a small group but it’s grown to approximately 200 people. We sent out 175 invitations and the response was amazing. Even people who could not attend have sent in donation checks.”
Rainone, who hopes it will become an annual event, credited Judy Lemoncelli, Alzheimer and Parkinson development director, for helping to put the event together, adding, “It was a pleasure to work with her.”
Although Rainone and husband Don underwrote the cost, they opted to charge a symbolic $25 to represent the cost of one hour of caregiver respite. The cost to provide three hours of respite care per week for one year is roughly $4,000.
“A lot of people weren’t aware of what we do, and that’s what it’s all about. My whole mission was awareness,” she said.
For more information, visit memoryandmotion.org.
