Coffee Breaks Offer Support for Caregivers

Judith Bick took care of her father for many years until he passed away. Now she takes care of her 97-year-old mother. Bick moved her mother into her one-bedroom condo when she broke her hip and has found it difficult to find time to do things for herself.

“No matter how much you love the person you are caring for, your life does become limited, as it revolves around the care you are giving that person,” Bick said.

But Suncoast Hospice has seen Bick through the past two years.

Suncoast Hospice, which serves all of Pinellas County, recognized the need to provide caregivers with a place they could receive encouragement, resources, tips and support among others in their shoes. So the organization created Caregiver Coffee Break, which are free and open to the public and available at their facilities, countywide. Caregivers develop relationships with each other and often check in on each other when outside the group. One caregiver who lost his mother still attends the Coffee Breaks to offer his support to others.

Bick and a friend attended their first Caregiver Coffee Break together and were thrilled to find they were among people who finally “got it.” 

She said that by listening to other caregivers’ stories, it puts her personal situation in perspective.

“It’s hard to do things for myself now,” she said. “The people at the Coffee Break understand what is happening in your life. There is a camaraderie here that you don’t find among other people who don’t share this experience.”

When someone becomes a caregiver, life can drastically change. Taking on the daily needs of a loved one requires a commitment that can greatly limit a caregiver’s personal time, causing them to feel lost and overwhelmed in the process.

“Caregivers lose their identity and forget about what they enjoyed before caregiving,” Licensed Clinical Social Worker Eva Price said. “The Coffee Breaks are a place where they can relax, get away, and be the ones taken care of for a little while.” 

Price is a facilitator at the late afternoon Coffee Break at the St. Petersburg Center. She often brings in homemade meals for her group.

“The Coffee Breaks are my little oasis in the middle of chaos. Now they are my respite,” Bick said.

Suncoast Hospice offers many caregiver resources in addition to the Coffee Breaks.

Center for Living and Wellness Coordinator Brenda Thompson Stewart said that professional Hospice facilitators, counselors, nurses and volunteers run the program.

“We are here for patients and their families,” she said. “We try to meet the needs of the community and Hospice develops programs like this to meet those needs.”   

Most Coffee Breaks offer a light meal, refreshments and beverages.

Attendees can mingle, and based on the interest of the group, a speaker may be invited to present on topics like finances or Medicare. They are usually scheduled for an hour and a half and have between five and 12 people in attendance. Each service center has at least two facilitators.

Suncoast Hospice Caregiver Resources:

Suncoast Hospice Service Centers are in Palm Harbor, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and in some assisted and independent living centers in Pinellas County. Several Coffee Breaks are offered each month across the different locations, making it available to many caregivers in the area.

Are you Caring for Someone?

Coffee Break Calendar

Gulfport Resources:

Gulfport Senior Center Caregivers Support: Wednesdays at 2 p.m.