(Seguin) — A new initiative is working to provide care for all the caregivers in this community.
The Caregiver Cafe is a joint effort between GRMC, Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church and Emanuel’s Lutheran Church.
Pam Sagebiel of Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church is helping to coordinate the Caregiver Cafe.
She says the Caregiver Cafe is really designed to provide support for anyone who provides care for someone else.
She says they’ve been discussing this idea for some time, and now they are officially ready to launch this new support group.
“We started talking and gathering resources and gathering people and decided to do a joint ministry with Emanuel’s and Spirit of Joy to offer what we finally came up with as the Caregiver Café. We wanted something that didn’t turn people off like a support group or whatever. It’s hard for people to get over the name of that. But we thought, Caregiver Café. Invite people over for a cup of coffee and some refreshments and just chat,” said Sagebiel.
Gina Touchstone, a yoga and mindfulness instructor, will work with those who show up for the Caregiver Cafe.
Sagebiel says they’ll be providing some tips on how caregivers can care for themselves while giving so much to someone else.
Sagebiel says yoga and mindfulness tips are just one part of the Caregiver Cafe.
Ultimately, she says it will be much more than that.
“It has evolved into bringing in guest speakers and one branch of this while Gina is here is she is very good with relaxation and stress relieving techniques and so on. So, she is going to be providing some just meditation and relaxation for the caregivers because we know that is something that they probably desperately need and they can learn to use on their own whether they are in the caregiver setting or just a way to try to get some sleep at night,” said Sagebiel.
Touchstone says you don’t have to have any experience with these yoga or mindfulness techniques to benefit.
She says they simply want to offer some suggestions on how to provide better care for yourself, which will ultimately help you better care for others.
“I just want them to know that we are offering a safe place for them to come and just let it out. If they have anxieties or any kind of tension, if they need to talk to somebody in the same situation, that we are there. It’s not going to go anywhere. Everything stays there amongst the group, so we just have that safe place for them to come and be cared about. Let us care for them like they are caring for someone they love,” said Touchstone.
Donna Simmons is the Bereavement Care Coordinator for Emanuel’s Lutheran Church, and she says it’s essential for people to come, whether they consider themselves caregivers or not.
She says the Caregiver Cafe could benefit just about anyone who spends time helping others.
“I hope they really think about it and think about whether they are a caregiver or not. There are many people out there that don’t even realize that they are in that caregiver mode, and they are, but I’d like for them to come and try. Get together with us. Come to Spirit of Joy. Come to Emanuel’s and come and try it. Don’t just stay away because you are not sure.
But come and try it and be with us. Like Gina said, “We are there to help you and to help you get through this hard period of your life,” said Simmons.
You don’t need to be involved with the churches or the hospital, and there’s no membership necessary for you to join each session.
Sagebiel says the most important thing is for you to just stop by this morning or at one of the future dates and see what the Caregivers Cafe is all about.
“Come and try it. If you don’t like it, hey, that’s fine you don’t need to come back but you get a free cup of coffee out of it, and I really do appreciate what Gina said also is that we are there to care for you. You take a timeout from whatever you are doing. Sit and relax. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and we will care for you,” said Sagebiel.
The very first Caregiver Cafe was held this past week at Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, which is located near the corner of Dolle Avenue and Medlin Street in the old Juan Seguin school.
It will be held at 9 a.m. every first Thursday of the month at Spirit of Joy.
It will move to the afternoons on the third Sunday of each month and be held at Emanuel’s Lutheran Church.
The first meeting at Emanuel’s will occur at 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 18. Emanuel’s is located on Travis Street in downtown Seguin.
These are free informal gatherings and coffee and refreshments will be served.