Offering Respite

By Connie Mitchell

For more than 500 families in the St. Louis area, the June Jessee Memorial Foundation is a lifeline. The nonprofit organization supports children with medically complex neurological conditions by providing financial assistance, mental health services, educational resources, community engagement and more. Now, the foundation is adding respite services for caregivers via a pilot program with Washington University in St. Louis.

In the new program, mothers of children served by the foundation are working with Washington University medical and physical therapy students to increase awareness and understanding of their children’s needs. Students will then provide in-home respite care for families in the program.

“This program will help to lay the foundation for growing our respite care offerings for St. Louis families; given this, we chose families with whom we have a lot of trust and communication,” says Genny Jessee, founder and executive director of the JJMF. “We wanted to begin this important initiative with moms that will help us to grow and improve the program, communicating the wins and areas for improvement. We also chose families with varying needs so that we can determine how students work with families with a range of requirements, ensuring that we are able to match students with what interests them so they are motivated and have the best learning experience possible.”

The program is designed to benefit both families and students, helping them gain more than just diagnostic and clinical skills. “This experience will help them become better doctors and physical therapists as they develop an understanding of the challenges families face at home, outside of a medical setting,” says Dr. Liu Lin Thio, director of the Washington University Pediatric Epilepsy Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

The program began in late 2022 with three JJMF moms, and organizers plan to increase participation this year – but the program is already making a difference. Annie Harper, whose son, Joe, receives support from the JJMF, says inhome visits from a Washington University physical therapy student have been invaluable. “We are building trust with every visit,” she says. “He’s also assisting with some of Joe’s therapies and is bonding with our older boys by helping to care for and develop relationships with them as well, creating trust and rapport with the whole family.”

Medical, physical therapy and occupational therapy students are not required to participate in the program, although it is one way they can fulfill a service learning requirement. The JJMF is one of several organizations students can choose from. “Putting mothers and caregivers in the classroom and bringing the students in-home will help shape their education in a profound way while providing them an incredible experience,” Jessee says. ln

June Jessee Memorial Foundation, junejessee.org