The ARK provides your family with hope and relief when someone you love is living with Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders. Our goal is to preserve dignity, respect individual self worth, and help people with memory problems continue to be a part of their community. You are the reason we exist! Our caregivers are as much a priority as the person with the disease. Join our family!

Someone in America develops Alzheimer’s every 68 seconds; by mid-century someone will develop Alzheimer’s every 33 seconds. (2011 US Census)

Adult Respite Care:  Programs are offered in Summerville (Monday-Thursday). Programs in St. George are expected to restart soon. Support Groups: Caregivers learn coping skills through sharing with each other. Groups now operate in Summerville, Harleyville and Goose Creek. Guest speakers are invited to share topics of interest to the group.
Caregiver Consultation: THE ARK’s staff partners with families to set care priorities, share caregiving techniques, and connect with resources to allow the person with memory problems to live a quality life at home as independently as possible.
Lunch & Learn Program: Since many caregivers juggle family responsibilities with work, THE ARK partners with area businesses and industries to assist employees who also serve as caregivers.
The NOAH Project: THE ARK mentors underserved areas in developing Alzheimer’s support services tailored to meet the unique needs of communities in our target area of Dorchester, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, and Orangeburg Counties.

Our History

• The ARK started as an outreach of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in 1997.
• A satellite respite day program started in 1997 in rural St. George serving families in Dorchester and Colleton counties.
• In 2004, grants provided funds for a bus to help participants attend.

• The ARK operates a four-day a week Summerville program with ten participants per day serving the Tri-county and Colleton County.
• To date over 450 families have been served with countless others receiving information and referral to other services.

The ARK has earned a reputation as a refuge for families who are coping with caring for people with dementia, and as a community information and referral source. The ARK has cultivated a wide network of geriatric resources in the Lowcountry, and these relationships have proven invaluable as sources of help for the families served. The ARK’s efforts and expertise was recognized by the SAGE Institute (in collaboration with the South Carolina Hospital Association and the Duke Endowment) with a 2004 Geriatric Best Practices Award. The ARK is recognized by the Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging as a model respite program for replication across South Carolina. The ARK’s respite programs in Summerville 2012 statistics: