This week, Carol speaks with Jerry Jacob from Grace Episcopal Church’s Grace Place, a ministry for people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of memory loss.
Jerry Jacob is my guest this week on Community with Carol. Jerry is a person I admire greatly. He is such an asset to our community. If you have met Jerry, you know that he gives all honor and glory to any project’s success to the Lord. He is a humble servant.
Jerry’s newest venture, Grace Place, is no different.
He told me repeatedly during our interview, “Since we began in January, God has blessed this organization with every need at just the right time.”
Through an experience with a personal family member and the help of a fellow church member, Grace Place was born. This is a program for individuals with dementia. The interactive program consists of four-hour sessions, filled with activities and one-on-one interaction. Grace Place offers the sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week.
In the short time Grace Place has been open another need was immediately noticed: support for the caregivers. In October, Grace Place began providing a day and night support group, now a very big part of the services available. The caregiver support groups meet weekly, and Jerry has a lending library with books and educational resources for caregivers to use. Grace Place also hosts monthly speakers to educate the group and the public on different subjects concerning the disease of dementia and the struggles facing caregivers. The December speaker will be Dana Dodson, a representative from NARCOG. She will be discussing financial assistance for caregivers. This will be held Dec. 6 at Grace Place (Grace Episcopal Church, 305 Arnold St. NE, Cullman).
My interview with Jerry is very informative and I encourage you to watch and to share on social media. Many are suffering with this horrible disease. The numbers Jerry shared in our interview are alarming. He said 1 in 9 individuals 65 and older will suffer from dementia and 1 in 3 over the age of 80. That is currently more than 2,000 Cullman County residents.
If Grace Place can assist you or someone you know, please call 256-736-4260.
Look for my interview with Jerry on The Cullman Tribune’s Facebook page on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at www.Facebook.com/CullmanTribune.
Find out even more about Grace Place here: www.cullmantribune.com/keyword/grace-place
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