Caregiver Support

Our PLACE Caregiver Support Group

2nd Friday of each month, 9a - 11a at the Tellico Village Library, 300 Irene Lane, Loudon, TN

This support group is affiliated with Alzheimer’s TN., Inc., and is dedicated to providing education featuring guest speakers, fellowship, and support for those giving care to an elderly loved one. Refreshments are provided.  

*To be added to the Caregiver Support Group contact list, please email director@ourplacetn.org.

Loudon Senior Center Caregiver Support

1st Thursday of each month, 2p - 3p at the Loudon Senior Center, 901 Main Street, Loudon, TN

Our PLACE Adult Day Center Is Now Our PLACE Memory Day Center

The Growing Need for Memory-Care Support in Loudon, Monroe, and Surrounding Counties

Most of us can picture the moment when memory loss became personal, real.

A neighbor forgets your name. A friend stops showing up. A loved one struggles to remember things that once came easily. Some may recognize changes in themselves. Those moments are unfolding every day in kitchens, living rooms, and doctors’ offices, often without much notice from the outside world.

In Loudon, Monroe, and surrounding counties, nearly one in 10 residents age 65 and older is living with dementia. Alzheimer’s disease ranks among the leading causes of death locally, and those numbers continue to rise as our communities age. But statistics only tell part of the story.

Behind each diagnosis is a family adjusting to a new reality. Spouses become caregivers. Adult children juggle jobs, parenting, and round-the-clock supervision. Most provide care without formal training, often without enough sleep, and frequently without anyone asking how they are holding up. This year, more than 500,000 Tennesseans are expected to serve as unpaid caregivers—many carrying emotional and financial burdens quietly and alone.

For families in rural communities, the challenge is even greater. Memory-care options are limited. Private programs can be expensive, transportation may be difficult, and keeping a loved one safely engaged at home can feel overwhelming. Caregivers often say they don’t need “time off”—they need help.

That is where Our PLACE comes in.

Since opening our doors in 2022, Our PLACE has served as this area’s only independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit memory day center, offering something many families didn’t know existed: a safe, structured place where adults with memory loss are welcomed, engaged, and treated with dignity. To date, Our PLACE has provided more than 70,000 hours of person-centered care. At the same time, and just as importantly, we provided 70,000 hours of respite for caregivers.

For some, those hours mean the chance to rest. For others, they mean time to work, run errands, or simply take a deep breath. For many families, that support has made the difference between continuing at home and seeking long-term care options outside the home.

A Name That Reflects the Heart of the Work

With that mission at the forefront, Our PLACE Adult Day Center is now known as Our PLACE Memory Day Center.

The care has always been specialized. The focus has always been memory loss. But the previous name didn’t always make that clear to families searching for help. Adding “Memory” to the name helps caregivers and healthcare providers more quickly understand what Our PLACE offers—often during one of the most stressful moments of their lives.

What Remains the Same

While the name has changed, the heart of Our PLACE has not.

The center remains dedicated to providing a safe, engaging, person-centered day program for adults living with memory loss, while supporting caregivers with education, understanding, and resources.

Families will continue to find the same compassionate care they trust. Community partners will continue to rely on Our PLACE as a vital local resource. Donors will continue to sustain a program that ensures no one is turned away because of an inability to pay.

Our PLACE Memory Day Center will continue offering day programs, caregiver support groups, and educational resources. Families have several options to help offset the $80 daily fee, including VA benefits, TennCare CHOICES, long-term care insurance, and scholarships made possible by generous community support.

For families wondering whether Our PLACE Memory Day Center might be right for them, the first step is simple: a conversation. Executive Director Sarah Martin, CDP, offers a free 30-minute consultation to answer questions and help families explore their options in a supportive, no-pressure setting.

Memory loss may change many things, but families should never have to face it alone.

To schedule a consultation, email director@ourplacetn.org or call 865-657-7222.

Our PLACE Memory Day Center is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting adults with memory loss and the families who care for them across Loudon, Monroe, and neighboring counties.