New group forming to support special needs caregivers

Caring for loved ones with disabilities can be a lonely road with limited connections to others who understand what caregivers experience.

That loneliness and disconnection is what inspired the formation of a new monthly meeting in Huntingburg. Caregivers Connection will occur every third Tuesday of the month at the Faith Community Church, 302 N. Jackson Street, beginning on March 19.

The new group emerged from a conversation between Korrine Whitehead and Lori Bradley while Korrine provided swimming lessons for Lori’s son, Anderson.

In addition to being somewhat new to the area, Lori and her husband, Alan, care for Anderson, who has a rare form of epilepsy. Though the community has welcomed them with open arms, Lori wondered if there were any support groups for caregivers in the area.

Korrine, whose sister, Alli, has cerebral palsy, could understand what Lori was seeking. However, she was unaware of anything like that in the area. When she told Lori, she responded, “maybe we can create one.”

“Of course, I pulled Mom (Gail Werne) and Alli in,” Korrine said.

Lori and Korrine see the group as a way to overcome loneliness as well as create avenues for conversations to help with caring for the individuals they are responsible for. “This is just a way for people to come together and connect and say, ‘Hey, I’ve been through this and this is what has helped me,'” Korrine said.

Initially, the group’s goal is to enable connections for people providing care for a disabled loved one, regardless of age or condition. Everyone is invited to come and meet with others who share similar experiences.

In addition to providing those new connections, in the future, they would like to host special talks or seminars to help caregivers with training and information.

“We just want to get together to be able to provide support for everyone so nobody feels like they are alone,” Korrine said.