A $300,000 grant from Exhale – The Family Caregiver Initiative will allow the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute to continue providing its Give Yourself a Break Today program, a healing arts program for family caregivers and cancer thrivers. This gift supports the program for three years in partnership with other community groups.
In Michigan alone, there are over 1.7 million family caregivers. Cancer is an incredibly relentless disease that takes a toll on patients tremendously. Cancer does not just affect one person, but also everyone who loves and supports that person. Family caregiving can be both rewarding and stressful. Awarded through the Exhale funders collaborative, the grant supports innovative and collaborative projects in Southeast Michigan that reimagine respite opportunities for family caregivers. This generous gift from Exhale will help Karmanos support caregivers and patients to relieve stress through art and music therapy, chair massage, meditation, counseling, support groups, self-care days, weekend retreats, yoga, and more.
“So often in the community, we focus on the person who has cancer, Parkinson's or some other chronic illness. This effort is to focus equally on that family caregiver because many people already are or will be caregivers for their family in their lifetime. It’s just as important that they equally get support as do the patients,” said Kathleen Hardy, LMSW, oncology social worker at Karmanos.
Karmanos would like to recognize Exhale, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and the Michigan Health Endowment Fund for their continuous support to expand the Exhale program in Southeast Michigan, with additional support from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Give Yourself a Break Today is offered at various Karmanos and community locations, including Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit, Karmanos Cancer Institute at the Weisberg Cancer Center in Farmington Hills and through Zoom. For more information, contact Kathleen Hardy at hardyk@karmanos.org or 248-538-4712.