More than half of all older persons with severe mental impairments are victims of Alzheimer's. Characterized by a progressive deterioration of the mind and body, Alzheimer's can last from two to 20 years. More than 2,400 persons in Leon County, age 60 and over, suffer from Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. Caregivers are expected to be strong, patient and accept new responsibilities on an ongoing basis. The freedom to go to the store, to dine out or to sleep soundly through the night become distant memories.
Caregivers feel overwhelmed, disconnected from friends and removed from activities of normal living.
The Claude Pepper Saturday Retreat provides supervised care for loved ones while caregivers have a few hours to take care of their personal needs. The only program of its kind in Tallahassee, Saturday Retreat offers one solution for caregivers to help their loved ones live at home for as long as possible. In 1986, after several Tallahassee homeless people died from exposure to the freezing weather, a makeshift shelter was opened in a church basement. Today, the Shelter has its own facility where it provides a bed to over 5,000 persons a year and is the leader in Leon County in providing free meals seven days a week. Services provided include lodging, dinner, breakfast, showers, laundry service and emergency assistance to families and individuals with special needs, such as a bus ticket to reunite the homeless person with relatives.