Demopolis church launching SALT program to benefit senior adults

Laughter echoed across the Fellowship Hall of First Baptist Church as members of the JOY (Just Older Youth) group took part in a demonstration/training event for a new service in Demopolis.

Volunteers spearheaded by members of the First United Methodist Church are starting SALT, or Senior Adults Living Triumphantly.

The adult respite program is for older adults with mild to moderate memory loss. It also provides a chance for their caregivers to have a break from their responsibilities.

Under the direction of Bambi Hamilton, SALT will begin on March 8. Initially, said volunteer liaison Jane Watson, it will meet at the Methodist Church every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., but organizers hope to expand it as the need grows.

Participants will take part in arts, music, crafts, games and low impact exercise. The JOY meeting gave volunteers the opportunity to try different activities to see what works and how to make the program successful for those attending.

“There is no distinction between who is a volunteer and who is a participant,” said Hamilton, the only paid staff member.

Watson brought back the idea for SALT from the UMC Annual Conference held last summer. There a respite program begun in Montgomery received awards for its innovation and success. It started with two participants one day a week and has grown to more than 150 attending four days a week.

SALT provided UMC members with the opportunity to serve their own community in addition to helping overseas missions, added Watson.

While there will be a fee for participants, she said, “We hope for enough donations to take care of everyone who cannot pay.”

SALT doesn’t duplicate any other program in the city, she continued. The main focus is socialization for those adults that are facing the early stages of dementia. The games, meals, art, singing and exercise are ways of meeting that goal.

At the JOY meeting, the day started with a spirited game of balloon volleyball, using foam “noodles” to bat the balloon over a net. Participants then made bird feeders using pine cones, peanut butter and birdseed. The craft was followed by Bird BINGO. Tannda Elliott led them in mild exercise, and then Ed Rush directed the singing.

Many of the ideas for the activities come from websites, including Pinterest, said Hamilton. “It doesn’t hurt that we have teachers as volunteers,” she added.

Hamilton has begun speaking to area clubs and churches to introduce SALT. She said each prospective participant must fill out a packet of information, including an extensive form for doctors to complete.

The only limitations for participants is that they must be able to feed themselves and take care of their own hygiene. Volunteers will not administer medication but will remind participants when it is time to take any pills.

SALT requires a one-to-one ratio of volunteers to participants. All volunteers are professionally trained.

“Volunteers are what really makes this work,” said the director.

Getting volunteers has not proven to be a problem, added Watson.

Hamilton and her family lived in Demopolis for 13 years before moving to Poplarville, Miss. While here she was a case manager at West Alabama Mental Health. After graduating from the University of Alabama with her Masters in Psychology and Counseling, she became Director of Group and Foster Homes.  Eight years later she started her own practice, Riverwalk Counseling.

For information on SALT or to contribute to the program, contact Hamilton at 334-422-5054 or Watson at 334-208-0706.