Respite for All’s Whirlwind 2025 annual training conference was a jam-packed 72 hours of information and inspiration that put the wind in our sails for serving our friends living with dementia. It began on Sunday, March 2, with a check-in of attendees from 17 states of people leading, launching or planning Respite for All ministries.

Teams from 39 Respite for All communities from such far-ranging locations as Sequim, WA, to Pleasantville, NY, to Mill Valley, CA, to The Villages, FL, to Houston, TX, came to Canterbury United Methodist Church in Birmingham, where their hard-working team hosted our first conference outside of Montgomery. Combined with 160 registered attendees and more than 80 local volunteers, the conference was rocking!

Among the highlights, we premiered Respite for All’s documentary which highlighted Respite for All communities in Chapel Hill, NC and McDonough, GA, as well as ones in Birmingham and Montgomery – and we look forward to releasing it to a wider public soon.

Susannah Whitsett, director of Founders Place Respite at St. Luke’s Episcopal, led a session on how movement routines can build new muscle memory – and then showed us how it’s done. Dementia educator Ruth Minnema talked about the value of person-centered care, and another one of our all-star directors, Gina McIntyre of Anchor Community Respite at Asbury UMC, gave a presentation rich with activities that directors can implement in their communities.

One of our keynotes, Anne Basting, gave a lovely talk that involved asking “beautiful questions” – which are questions that don’t create stress for those experiencing memory loss but invite imagination, an exploration of the senses. She noted that research shows the power of awe reduces inflammation and stress.

Dr. David Geldmacher, director of UAB Memory Disorders and Behavior Neurology and a long-time friend of Respite for All, spoke about advances in Alzheimer’s. One takeaway is that treatment for Alzheimer’s will become like treatment for heart disease to avoid a future heart attack – identifying the traits early and treating those traits before they progress. But important to our audience, he talked about the main needs that families experience – and how only one of those, medication, is dealt with in the medical arena. The other critical elements of dementia care that involve “support for the family that falls outside medicine” occur in respite ministry.

We heard an inspiring message from Dr. Daniel Potts, a Tuscaloosa neurologist who learned about the non-medical aspects of dementia care (creativity, art, community) through the experiences of his parents. Plus, the amazing Brodie Croyle shared a powerful message that reminded us all why we serve others.

We’ll start planning soon for our 2026 conference, so be sure to join our email list and stay in touch!