Day of Respite Recap 2026 -

The Day of Respite was Phenomenal! Thank you, Concorde Career College and Lawanda Allen for hosting this year’s event. The Day of Respite is a day for a family caregiver to get a break. This year we focused on tools that you could use on your journey. We started off with Odie Tolbert he has been a personal trainer for over 10 years. He gave us exercises that we could use basically anywhere. Encouraging us to continue to put in the work for our health and longevity.

Next, Katrina Kimble – the program director of the Alzheimer’s Association West Tennessee Chapter – talked about brain health. The Alzheimer’s Association has implemented materials that encourage someone to proactively protect their brain health. Katrina delivered the message spot on. She is a phenomenal speaker, and she is also a family caregiver.

Jaria Sharkey came to represent Pendleton House of Love where she works in long-term care and supports. She also is an author of the book Caregivers Need Love. Mrs. Sharkey had the task of inspiration and had us all recite some affirmations. She encouraged us to look at ourselves and make sure that we encourage ourselves daily.

Dr. Sandroni – wow! She is a audiologist with MID-SOUTH EAR, NOSE & THROAT, P.C. and her presentation was outstanding. Many in the room had never even thought about hearing and self-care. She gave tips and resources for self-care help and preventive information on caring for yourself and your hearing.

Sozo Consulting presented on nourishing yourself while you’re nourishing others – a phenomenal take on how fruits and vegetables add to your life and longevity.

Mrs. Green was here from the Aging Commission who gave us an update on the latest voucher for respite.

We also had Mr. and Mrs. Hosinger from NeoLife who gave a wonderful presentation on the circle of life.

Simultaneously as we had speakers, we had a pamper session going on so each caregiver could step outside to be pampered by professionals including the Concorde Massage Therapy students giving complimentary chair massages. Cindy Longmire, the owner of My Place Mani Pedi, did hand massages. And also Alisha Whitmore, licensed esthetician and the owner of Skin Therapy, provided facial treatments.

Lawanda Allen is the Director of Massage Therapy at Concorde. She gave a phenomenal presentation on how to avoid burnout. Eyes and ears were so attentive that you could hear a pin drop! She gave us self-care tools that we could use to hopefully prevent burnout.

We also honored Mrs. Joyce McKinney with our annual Caregiver of the Year Award. Mrs. McKinney and her husband have been the primary caregivers of their son for over 20 years. Mrs. McKinney is a phenomenal caregiver – she exemplifies the need for breaks and she takes them. Her and her husband also never miss a beat when it comes to caring for their son. She was chosen as Caregiver of the Year for many reasons. Mrs. McKinney was serenaded by the songstress, Carla Tolbert Taylor. Carla is a professional singer who has previously been a caregiver for her father. Mrs. Taylor always finds time to come to this event – she is a phenomenal example of giving back to her community.