By Maggie Beamguard
Insider Editor
A new caregiver support group will begin meeting in April at St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church. The twice-monthly gathering is for those caring for aging parents, spouses, siblings or loved ones with chronic illnesses.
The group will meet from 1-2 p.m. on the second and fourth Sundays of each month in the Church Hall at 1145 Seven Lakes Drive, West End.
The congregation’s priest, Rev. Colette Bachand, said the every-other-week rhythm is frequent enough to build connection, but not so often that it becomes another burden on already full schedules.
“It takes a lot of courage to walk into a room like that,” she said. “You’re acknowledging that you’re overwhelmed, that you feel vulnerable. That’s not easy.”
The meetings will be led by Bachand, who has had a career in health care chaplaincy including support group work, hospice care, geriatric care, and spiritual care of those with Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
The group is open to anyone in a caregiving role, not just those supporting someone with dementia. Caregiving can look different from family to family, Bachand acknowledged, but emotions often overlap: grief, frustration, uncertainty, exhaustion, and sometimes guilt for feeling those things at all.
Bachand’s hope is to create a space where people can speak honestly within the covenant of confidentiality.
The gatherings will not follow a formal curriculum. There is no preparation required and no pressure to share. Meetings will typically begin with a simple check-in of the highs and lows over the intervening weeks. Conversation grows organically.
“Usually the common threads just emerge,” she said. “Maybe someone is grieving what a holiday used to look like. Maybe someone is facing a new diagnosis. We just follow what’s most present.”
While resources for caregiver support can be found in Southern Pines and Pinehurst, geography can make access to those programs difficult for caregivers in Seven Lakes and West End. “If you’re a caregiver, you don’t necessarily have time to drive 30 minutes to a meeting,” she said. “We’re hoping this fills a gap.”
Meetings are expected to remain small with ideally eight to 10 participants which allows for meaningful conversation and relationship building.
“This isn’t about fixing anything,” Bachand said. “It’s about finding other people to walk the road with. It’s about being able to breathe and say, ‘We’re going to do this together.’”
This program is free and open to the community. No advance sign up is required. For more
information about this program, call 910-673-3838 or email saintmarymagdalenenc@gmail.com.
Contact Maggie Beamguard at maggie@thepilot.com.
