By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
“B-12, G-60, I-29” … Nothing gets in the way of basement bingo games at the Wood County Senior Center site in Wayne. Not even a meeting of the Wood County Committee on Aging Board in the next room.
“We love our bingo,” said one of the eight women doubling up on bingo cards this past Wednesday at the satellite senior center hosted by Wayne United Methodist Church.
So as to not interrupt the highly competitive game, the committee on aging board members conducted their meeting with the energetic calls of “N-45” and the like in the room next door.
The meeting was frequently punctuated with shouts of “BINGO,” followed by “come on up and get a prize.”
After the board meeting concluded, the bingo game continued – with prizes piling up in front of the luckier players. The winnings included Swiss cake rolls, cheese popcorn, a heart keychain, four-packs of toilet paper, Crunch ’n Munch, dryer sheets, Ziploc baggies, and snack packs of pudding and jello.
The women were not distracted by the meeting next door, and let their cell phones ring rather than answering and risk losing their concentration.
Meanwhile, the board in the room next door dealt with more practical manners, like staffing, the minor home repair project, and the MemoryLane Care services planned at the Wood County Senior Center in Bowling Green.
Denise Niese, executive director of the Wood County Committee on Aging, reported that the MemoryLane program plans to begin moving furniture and equipment on-site on May 17. Sometime in June, the adult day services will be offered.
The adult day program in Wood County has been a long time coming. After waiting more than two years, the funding was awarded earlier this spring by the Ohio Department of Aging.
“It’s something our constituents have been waiting for since we’ve had this building,” Niese said in March. “This is going to be a wonderful service.”
The new Wood County Senior Center in Bowling Green was built with an area designed to provide day care for older adults. But more than two years later, the room remained empty.
The Wood County Committee on Aging has been working with MemoryLane Care Services to secure funding for a safe place for people with memory issues to spend their days. The program will also help their families who are trying to keep them at home.
“This will allow caregivers to have a break – for respite or for work,” Niese said.
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.
The senior center will provide the space and pay for utilities, while MemoryLane Care Services will provide staffing and materials. The program will be licensed to serve 22 adults at a time.
Two years ago, MemoryLane 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.
The need was there, but the funding was held up in Columbus.
“We’ve been ready,” Niese said.
The seniors who will be receiving care qualify for nursing home services, explained Salli Bollin, executive director of MemoryLane Care Services. But they and their caregivers want them to stay with family. MemoryLane allows that to happen, she said.
The facility at the Wood County Senior Center in Bowling Green will provide socialization, activities, meals and nursing services. Personal care would be provided, including assistance eating, going to the restroom and showering. The program would offer a safe living environment, where families don’t have to worry about their loved one leaving the house or leaving the stove on.
“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, a shower in case of bathroom accidents, and an outdoor patio with a fence around it.
Loss of memory has a way of shrinking the worlds of older adults. And families caring for their loved ones at home have few care options, according to Bollin.
“This is a great alternative for them. They can get out, see people and do things,” she said.
Anyone interested in the adult day program may contact MemoryLane at 419-720-4940.
