Respite Care for Caregivers
Ilene’s Caregivers was launched in 2022 to complete the circle of caring at Lucy’s Love Bus by providing essential support services for our Love Bus children’s parents, guardians, and caregivers. Ilene’s Caregivers offers a menu of self-care and respite options to support parents and caregivers through the long journey of caring for a very sick child and their sibling(s). Our pilot program is currently being offered to families of our Lucy's Children participants in New England that are: single parent families, families with a child at end-of-life (advanced cancer, relapse, or poor prognosis), or families with a child who is coping with ongoing late effects of cancer treatment. This program is generously funded by The Ilene Beal Foundation and Parmenter Foundation.
Current offerings in the Ilene's Caregivers program include:
- Massage therapy for caregivers
- Funding for individual/group/partner counseling
- Support from an Independent Healthcare Advocate
- Respite Weekend Retreats with gift cards for gas and groceries
- Virtual yoga and Tong Ren offerings
- 1:1 support from our Program Manager
- Weekly Support Group for parents with a child in treatment
- Monthly support group for bereaved parents
- Home visits/End of Life Doula Care
For more information, please contact Beecher Grogan at beecher@lucyslovebus.org or click here to complete an application for support.
