By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Local families needing adult day services currently have to drive as far as Toledo or Findlay to get them. There is no facility in Wood County for older adults with memory or cognitive issues who need supervision during the day.
But efforts are underway to secure funding so MemoryLane Care Services can open an adult day center for people with cognitive issues at the Wood County Senior Center in Bowling Green.
Denise Niese, executive director of the Wood County Committee on Aging, reported to her board Wednesday on steps to get day services up and running at the new senior center at 140 S. Grove St., in Bowling Green.
“This will allow caregivers to have a break – for respite or for work,” Niese said.
“We built that suite specifically for that,” Niese said of the room designed for adults with cognitive issues brought on by dementia, strokes or head injuries.
The area has a separate entrance, a sensory room to give seniors a break from others, and an outdoor patio.
“We just wanted them to feel like they are sitting in their backyard,” Niese said.
Adult day centers provide caregivers with a much-needed break, allow them to continue working and attend to their own needs while giving individuals with memory loss an opportunity to socialize, receive care and participate in engaging programing within a safe, supportive atmosphere.
The senior center will provide the space and pay for utilities, while MemoryLane Care Services, of Toledo, will provide staffing and materials, Niese said. The program will be licensed to serve 22 adults at a time.
“It’s a true collaboration,” Niese said of the adult day service program.
MemoryLane Care Services currently offers adult day services in Toledo and has more than 30 years of experience providing adult day programming in Northwest Ohio. A couple months ago, the agency conducted a survey of Wood County residents to gauge the level of need for adult day services.
“MemoryLane was surprised at the number of responses they got,” Niese said.
“We need to do something to get adult day services open,” she said.
The adults using the service will share in the congregate lunches at the senior center, and a pilot program may be set up to provide grab-n-go dinners for caregivers to take home when they pick up their loved one.
“That’s one of the huge stressors,” when caregivers have to juggle making dinner while tending to their family members’ needs – especially at the end of a workday, Niese said.
In other business at Wednesday’s meeting of the Wood County Committee on Aging Board, it was reported that the senior center is now able to accept credit card payments for activities.
Board President Paul Herringshaw reported on the staff’s help with “senior day” at the Wood County Fair. Even with the rain, 520 lunches were served to seniors who attended.
