By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The seniors sat around the table, taking turns in a game of “bowling dice.” Nobody seemed to care about the score, and occasionally a player would stroll around the room and return for another roll of the dice.
Elsewhere in the large room was a small putting green, an exercise area, a piano, a couch with a cozy afghan, books, games and coloring pages spread across another table.
The windows were lined with houseplants on the inside and bird feeders on the outside. Patio furniture sat waiting for warmer temperatures.
This is a safe space for local residents with dementia to spend their days. This is a local alternative to staying at home, isolated from others, watching TV most of the day.
“We engage these folks” and give them a home environment away from home, said Izzy Alaniz, director of the MemoryLane program at the Wood County Senior Center in Bowling Green.
And that engagement with others will help them live at home longer, and help their caregivers cope with the demands, she said.
“This will actually slow the progress of the disease,” Alaniz said as she reported on the MemoryLane program to the Wood County Committee on Aging on Wednesday afternoon.
For nearly 18 months now, the program in Bowling Green has cared for local residents with memory issues and their families who need support.
The site provides weekday socialization, activities, meals and nursing services. It offers a safe living environment, where families don’t have to worry about their loved one leaving the house or leaving the stove on.
Sometimes there are special guests – like Ragtime Rick and other musicians. And sometimes those guests crave attention – like the miniature horses, goats and dogs that come visit each month.
Participants are invited to exercise, play games, make crafts, put on headphones for “memory disco,” and watch TV like the recent Olympic coverage.
A nurse on staff can give medications and help with breathing treatments. The space also includes handicapped restrooms and a shower, where staff can assist someone – especially if a caregiver at home is struggling with the task.
“We’re a safe place for people to be,” Alaniz said.
But attendance at MemoryLane in Bowling Green continues to be low. So far, the program in Bowling Green averages five or six people a day – though it has room for 20 people, with a staff ratio of one to six.
“There’s a lot of need in the community,” Alaniz said. But oftentimes families are reluctant to take the step of seeking help outside the home.
The MemoryLane program is designed to care for people with memory difficulties and for their families who want to keep their loved one at home, but also need care during the day so they can work or get respite.
Too often people are given a dementia diagnosis, and “they are just sent off on their way,” Alaniz said. But a new program starting at the senior center called “Now What?” can help families navigate available resources.
That lack of knowledge about resources often leads families to near the breaking point before they seek help.
“People come to us at a crisis point,” said Salli Bollin, executive director of the MemoryLane program, which also has a location in Toledo.
The need for such services is growing as more older adults have long term care needs, as smaller family sizes mean fewer care options, as home care options become more limited, and as more caregivers remain in the workforce.
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 programming within a safe, supportive atmosphere.
“It’s allowed people to stay at home,” Bollin said.
Coaching for caregivers is also offered as the program has an “ongoing relationship” with the families of those with dementia.
“We’re thrilled to be able to do that,” Bollin said.
The cost of the care is based on a voluntary sliding fee scale, with no information being asked of families about their assets.
“We don’t want finances to be a barrier,” Alaniz said.
“People pay what they can afford to pay,” she said.
The cost to provide the care is estimated at $131 a day, but the most anyone pays is $85 to $90 for eight hours.
“It’s a lot less than home care,” Bollin said.
The MemoryLane program sometimes serves as a stepping stone to long-term care at residential facilities, by making that transition easier for the person with dementia and their family.
“This eases that process a little bit,” Alaniz said.
MemoryLane at the senior center is currently open Mondays through Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. People are welcome to stop by for tours during hours of operation. Bollin said she would like to expand those hours, if the daily census were to grow.
Anyone interested in the program may call 419-720-4940.
