Georgia Magazine - August 2022 - 18

Above: The living room at Lawton Place Manor provides a welcoming
space for guests to relax and socialize. Right: The Cobb Room is named
after famed baseball player Ty Cobb, who lived in the house in 1957.
indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, large kitchens
accessible to guests and on-site innkeepers.
" Offering a place for caregivers to take a break
to get some rest for a few days without guilt is
critical, no matter what their situation, " Roberts says.
" Caregivers face myriad challenges every day, and
people on the outside really don't understand. "
Rejuvenation for families
" Families of people with special needs,
disabilities or chronic illnesses often struggle with
the sense of being alone, extreme frustration and
exhaustion, guilt and hopelessness that they're not
doing enough, " Roberts says. " Giving these full-time
caregivers a welcoming setting away from their dayto-day
demands for a few days allows them a chance
to care for themselves, refresh and revitalize. "
A calendar of retreats at either of the two inns or
the organization's Porch Partners national network
of bed-and-breakfast inns offers caregivers a chance
to participate with others in similar circumstances.
" Our Atlas Club for Dads gives men, sons,
fathers and spouses an opportunity to rest and enjoy
fellowship with other men, " she says. " They can just
sleep for three days, go on hikes, hang out with other
guys or simply veg on the couch. It's their time for
themselves, totally freestyle. "
A Mother's Rest is funded entirely through private
donations from individuals and guests, churches,
small businesses, disability groups and small
grant foundations. The inns of the Porch Partners
program each host two weekends a year for caregiv18
Georgia Magazine August 2022
ers at discounted rates.
" Guests at Lawton Place Manor and the Terrace Guest
House pay a small donation-usually $55, or more if they can
afford it-or they are sponsored by friends or other family, "
Roberts says. " We truly rely on the generosity of donors who
recognize the importance of respite to caregivers. "
Moore has reserved another weekend retreat this summer
at Lawton Place Manor.
" I'm so grateful to Andrea for 'getting it,' " she says. " As a
caregiver herself, she had lived the challenges and the day-today.
The difference is that she took action and did something
about it so that the rest of us could benefit.
" When I got home, I was a better mom, a better person.
It changed my life and my outlook, connected me with others
on their own caregiver journeys and gave me a safe space that
seemed far away but was really pretty close to home. I felt
different, rested, patient and energized. I'm looking forward to
going back. "
Pamela A. Keene is a freelance writer living in Flowery
Branch.
For more information
A Mother's Rest Charitable Respite Foundation, amothersrest.org,
or email innkeeper@amothersrest.org.
COURTESY A MOTHER'S REST
COURTESY A MOTHER'S REST
http://www.amothersrest.org
Georgia Magazine - August 2022

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