Janet Williams has a special passion for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers. As a caregiver for her father, who suffered from dementia (Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia), she can relate to their situation. Janet fondly remembers the great stories from long ago that her father would share with her, while at the same time noticing his short-term memory slowly fading away.
Before retiring, Janet managed an Adult Day Healthcare for St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe, Louisiana.
“It was the Alzheimer’s clients that my heart was drawn to and sometimes I felt like the families needed us more than the clients,” she says.
It was during a conversation Janet had with her daughter, Jamie, that germinated the plan to create a ministry at First Christian Church in Monroe, Louisiana, specifically for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Jamie, who has a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy, lives in St. Augustine, Fla., and provides home healthcare to elderly patients, including those who have dementia. She proposed to her mother that they should do something together to serve those affected by Alzheimer’s. Janet remembers telling her daughter to pray about it and know that “I’m not moving to Florida.” As the two were in prayer for several months, the passion and commitment to develop a ministry continued to grow, until one day Jamie called her mother and said, “Let’s do this in Monroe.” The result: Hidden Treasures Alzheimer’s Respite Ministry at First Christian Church Monroe.
Hidden Treasures will be a day adult center, where Alzheimer’s patients can come daily for care.
“We will be open Monday through Friday to provide support for both the patients with Alzheimer’s disease and their families,” says Janet.
The center is still in the development stage, and the mother/daughter team is doing the leg work to create the ministry, which includes providing a facility-needs review and creating policies and procedures.
In addition, Disciples Church Extension Fund is providing a loan to Hidden Treasures to repurpose space at First Christian Church to accommodate the ministry. According to Janet, the church has the perfect space for this ministry, as it is a large facility and half of its education building isn’t being used. The loan will fund the renovation of four classrooms into two large classrooms, new flooring, the creation of a small office and storage space and outdoor access.
“Disciples Church Extension Fund is so pleased that we are able to partner with Hidden Treasures and First Christian Church in Monroe to provide this loan,” says DCEF Vice President Maribeth Westerfield.
“Hidden Treasures Alzheimer ‘s Respite Ministry is a three-way winner for First Christian Church,” says Pastor Craig Ferguson. “First, we unleash members to use their gifts and activate their passion in ministry. Second, we utilize our church facilities more fully during the week and create meaningful presence on the church site. And finally, we impact families struggling with a significant and ever-growing need in our community. We are excited to see how God uses this ministry.”
Janet anticipates that Hidden Treasures will open its doors to the public in early fall of this year.