When Alicia Christopher鈥檚 father began to show signs of cognitive impairment in 2019, she didn鈥檛 have to look far to find someone who knew what she was going through: Christopher鈥檚 cousin Jodie Finney was already helping a parent with dementia.
Finney鈥檚 mom has lived with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease since 2017. Christopher鈥檚 father was officially diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia just this month.
鈥淥ur families are extremely close and always have been,鈥� Christopher explained on Tuesday鈥檚 St. Louis on the Air. 鈥淪o when [Finney鈥檚 mom] was going through that, we were all there with them on that journey. And then as we went through a similar but different journey with frontotemporal dementia, it was great and also hard to realize we're both going through a similar journey 鈥� but different at the same time.鈥�
Now the two cousins have teamed up to create a nonprofit aimed at helping families like theirs 鈥� families that need support, practical advice and empathy. earned its nonprofit status this March, and its co-presidents are gearing up for their first public event later this month.
The inspiration came from the cards Christopher would hand out when taking her dad out to eat. 鈥淚 am caring for someone with dementia/Alzheimer鈥檚,鈥� they explain. 鈥淲e appreciate your patience and kindness.鈥�
Christopher found they helped finesse social situations with her very social, very active dad. She showed them to Finney one night during a family evening of pumpkin carving, raising the idea of making them available to other families, too.
The cards immediately resonated.
鈥淚 still have vivid memories of being out with Mom and in the public,鈥� Finney said. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥楾his is fantastic. We need to do this.鈥� And so we did a little market research and realized that there is a space for us in the dementia community.鈥�
The cousins decided to manufacture them as a fundraiser 鈥� and use the money to provide both free respite opportunities and group social events for caregivers. From there, the Caregiver Club was born.
The club is already offering respite packages for caregivers, paid or unpaid (you can ). They鈥檒l also host their first caregiver/companion social next week: a free fried chicken dinner at the Women鈥檚 Exchange of St. Louis. They鈥檙e already planning a second event at the Missouri Botanical Garden this September.
鈥淵ou can come in 鈥� again, free of charge 鈥� enjoy the garden, network and connect with other people in similar situations, walk the gardens and enjoy just being out of your home and in an environment that's supportive,鈥� Finney said.
Christopher is eagerly planning to be there 鈥� along with her dad.
鈥淚solation is really hard,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd when you are with someone with dementia, you're always a little bit worried. You're just not sure. And to be able to go out with people that understand and support you and know what's happening is really a blessing.鈥�
Related Event
What:
When: 5-7 p.m. June 13
Where: The Women鈥檚 Exchange of St. Louis, 8811-A Ladue Road, St. Louis, MO 63124
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by and produced by , , and . is our production assistant. The audio engineer is .
