OCEAN CITY – The Scarborough Inn, one of A Mother’s Rest most generous “Porch Partners,” has offered to host eight three-night caregiver retreats in 2022. The inn hosted one recently and more are on the way.
“From the moment the ‘moms’ arrived, you could feel their excitement,” Scarborough Inn Client Manager Monica Maxwell said. “They took this time at the inn and used it exactly how they wanted … some slept in, maybe for the first time in a really long time. Others went shopping, exploring the beach or boardwalk, and others took a crafting class on our porch. Some just sat on our porch in our rocking chairs listening to (innkeeper) Sne’s favorite 1930s jazz music playlist.”
This type of retreat is one of hundreds scheduled each year that A Mother’s Rest (AMR) coordinates to provide recuperative rest and therapeutic fellowship to moms and other female caregivers of loved ones with disabilities and/or chronic illness. The benefits of proactive self-care have been long overlooked in the disability community, AMY says. Acknowledging the emotional and physical impacts parents and caregivers face is imperative in ensuring the best long-term care to their loved ones.
“I feel so honored and blessed to be able to help these moms, dads and caregivers even for a short time, with the inn’s healing powers to lighten their heaviness and for them to leave the Jersey shore rested, recharged and with a new friend or two,” Maxwell said.
AMR needs Porch Partners like the Scarborough Inn that drive forward its mission of providing affordable, year-round, in-person respite and fellowship opportunities for mothers and other caregivers of children/adults/spouses with disabilities.
The Scarborough Inn was founded in 1895 and is the oldest hotel in Ocean City, located in the heart of the Downtown Historic District. Guests of AMR can walk to the beach, visit the Asbury Avenue shops, the boardwalk, or simply spend time enjoying much-needed sleep.
On Sept. 16-19, The Scarborough Inn will welcome bio and adoptive moms of children with disabilities, women caring for their Wounded Warriors and other spouses, and those caring for their own aging parents. Additional retreats are planned in September, October and November.
A Mother’s Rest, as a 501c3 non profit, relies entirely on donations to support our respite events. For more information on our mission, retreats, and how you can help please visit our website. For more information, contact Jennifer Iwan at (804) 399-6687 or email at commdirector@amothersrest.org.