歪歪漫画

BEMIDJI 鈥� Caring for other people comes naturally to nurses and health care providers 鈥� what鈥檚 sometimes harder is caring for themselves.

That鈥檚 something that hasn鈥檛 changed since Alice Thompson started the Ministry of Caring over 25 years ago, an annual retreat in Bemidji designed to provide care to the caregivers and help them find spiritual renewal.

鈥淐aregiving is no joke, it鈥檚 extremely demanding,鈥� Thompson shared, 鈥渁nd I鈥檝e always felt compelled to satisfy the need that was there (for caregivers).鈥�

This year鈥檚 retreat has the theme of 鈥淐alled to Care鈥� and will take place on April 25. It鈥檚 open to all varieties of caregivers, both inside and outside of health care, professional and nonprofessional.

鈥淢inistry of Caring includes everyone from a hospital all the way home and back again, that whole continuum,鈥� said Mary Eaton, one of the event鈥檚 organizers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a chance to take a breath, listen and share with others.鈥�

That鈥檚 what it鈥檚 been doing for the past two decades, providing a place for caregivers to focus on their own needs, discover resources and connect with others who have similar experiences.

Thompson, who has been a nurse for over 60 years, shared that the idea first came to her after visiting with a friend and fellow nurse who was dying of metastatic cancer.

鈥淲e spent the weekend laughing and crying and soul searching, and on the way home it all came to me at once: a retreat for nurses to get started on spiritual renewal,鈥� she said.

She named it while she was still in the car, and after getting together a committee of fellow nurses the first Ministry of Caring retreat was held in 1997 with the theme of 鈥淟et love in, let love out.鈥�

鈥淎 human being has physical, emotional and spiritual needs. I was raised in nursing believing that,鈥� Thompson explained.

While it was originally designed by and for nurses, it quickly expanded to include anyone providing care to another. Over the years the retreat has grown, receiving support early on from North Country Health Services and then from Sanford Health.

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It鈥檚 also seen the pressures on caregivers change, particularly after its return in 2023 following a three-year hiatus from the COVID-19 pandemic.

鈥淣urses and caregivers have had years of pressure on them, and (COVID) was added pressure,鈥� Eaton said, sharing that her daughter, a nurse in Minneapolis, helped families say goodbye to loved ones virtually.

鈥淚t was difficult for the family, and it was difficult for her and it happened over and over again,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭he trauma I see caregivers experience is one of those things you need to work out and recognize that you have.鈥�

Eaton added that even after surviving years of stress, it can be difficult for caregivers to recognize the traumas they鈥檝e gone through or to take time for themselves.

鈥淣urses and care providers go into the profession with a pretty strong moral and ethical code, and a calling, to feel like you have to step back from that and take care of yourself is awfully hard,鈥� she shared.

That鈥檚 what the Ministry of Caring is designed for, by creating a space that gives caregivers permission to take care of themselves and tools to help them continue doing it.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not always easy to remember to renew your own faith, emotions or mental and physical wellbeing,鈥� shared Michele Brielmaier, another of the organizers. 鈥�(Ministry of Caring) helps them recognize how much they give to others, and also how much they need to take care of themselves.鈥�

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One of the retreat鈥檚 main priorities is to provide something participants can continue to use in their lives to help them maintain the spiritual renewal the event hopes to impart.

鈥淲e try to provide something ongoing, a technique or a method, so it isn鈥檛 just a day and then it鈥檚 gone,鈥� Eaton said.

This year鈥檚 guest speaker is Linda Cherek, who has a background in nursing and mental health counseling. The retreat begins at 8:30 a.m. and goes until 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Bemidji. It is also designed to meet continuing education requirements for nurses.

Registration can be done online via the , the cost is $90 for regular participants and $35 for students.

鈥淭his is really based on helping caregivers be able to meet their needs. They鈥檙e present during sacred times, whether that鈥檚 birth, extreme illness or death,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淐aregiving demands a lot of spiritual stamina, and you have to take care of yourself.鈥�