Making the change of ownership as transparent as possible for patients was paramount. With dementia, disruptive changes can make a person’s condition worse.

CarePartners worked for months with former owners BakerRipley, a United Way agency, to maintain the standard of care for clients and their families.

All employees have been able to retain their positions and the program continues to operate in the same way as in the past.

Established in 1987 as the Sheltering Arms, it was the first dementia-specific adult day care center in Texas – and remains the only one in Houston serving adults with moderate to advanced dementia. The space provides care to 150 clients and 350 caregivers each year.

“The purpose of Dementia Day Center was to be there for families who often felt they had no options,” said CarePartners President Katie Scott. And she would know. Prior to assuming her current position, she served as director of the center for a decade.

“I loved being able to be there for both the person with the disease and the caregiver,” she said.

CarePartners formed in 1986, initially focusing on the population living with HIV and AIDS who did not have access to appropriate care or support. In the 1990s, as more treatment options became available for HIV patients, CarePartners shifted its focus to people with dementia and their families, who often became caregivers.

Scott explained that families caring for a loved one with dementia can become isolated and lose their support networks.

CarePartners responded by developing educational programs, workshops and conferences, as well as creating support groups. A home-based program called “Second Family” trained volunteers to visit clients in their homes to offer help at no cost.

“It’s about meeting people where they are — in their homes,” Scott said.

Gathering Place is another popular CarePartners program. Different congregations around Houston organize half-day activities for people with dementia.

“These gatherings are like mini daycare centers,” Scott said.

Currently, Scott said there are about 50 congregational gathering places offered on different days of the week.

Expanding to a centrally located full day option seemed like a logical next step.

“Adding the dementia day center to our services made sense,” Scott said.

Dementia is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world, and the only one that is neither preventable nor curable. Additionally, Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

Scott said in the Houston area, about 62,000 people live with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. That number will only increase as the city’s population ages, she added.

In the meantime, care continues to become more elusive and expensive, Scott said.

She explained that Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia account for 48% of caregivers needed – and that 30-40% of family caregivers suffer from depression and anxiety.

“Caregivers are already stressed out,” Scott said. “We can be there for them when they are on this journey. We want to partner with families. We want to provide them with the right resources at the right time.

At the Dementia Day Centre, clients, called “members”, have a place to go, where they receive nursing care, personal hygiene assistance and lunch.

Director Andrea Williams added that the schedule is packed with activities including dance, cooking classes, music, drama, chair yoga, Zumba, tai chi and meditation.

“There is no typical day,” she says. “Every day is new and different.”

There’s a patio for sunny days, a listening room with a record collection, a piano for musicians, an art space, a garden for members with green thumbs, and a spa-like room for rest and even have their hands massaged.

Williams said the environment was built with the members in mind.

“You just wish you could have places like this everywhere,” she said. “People don’t know us like they should. I don’t want to be Houston’s best kept secret. I want people to know we are here.

BakerRipley had announced plans to close the Dementia Day Center by October 2021, following a two-year assessment regarding program sustainability and resource management.

“By assessing our strengths and the needs of our community, we have determined that a clearer and more focused strategy related to socio-economic mobility will allow us to integrate and leverage our resources for greater impact for people. neighbors we serve,” Baker Ripley said in a statement. at the time.

From Scott’s time in charge of the day center, she was well aware of what it took to run the facility. CarePartners began planning and soliciting feedback from stakeholders, including board members, volunteers, industry experts and those who have used the service.

“We had already talked about how we could do more to present ourselves for the Houston community,” Scott said.

But there was a catch: taking over the center would require doubling the operations as well as the budget. “If we could get funding for it, we knew we could do it,” Scott said.

The board voted unanimously to continue, launching a fundraising campaign with a goal of $1.2 million in three years, of which $1.1 million has been raised to date.

CarePartners worked with the Harris County Agency on Aging and Veterans Affairs to secure financial support and with the state to secure the necessary licenses.

The existing relationship between CarePartners and Dementia Day Center facilitated the change of ownership. For example, Scott said, there was a lot of volunteer crossover.

“It was common,” she said. “The connection was there. It was a great symbiotic relationship.

Now, several months into the transition, and CarePartners continues to move forward.

“That’s just one piece of what we can do,” Scott said.

Already, CarePartners has added a caregiver consultant, a social worker who works one-on-one with families. The organization is also in the midst of a strategic planning process.

“The level of support Houston has provided during this transition has shown us that we need to be here,” Scott said. “We want to figure out how to be an even greater resource for the city. Our board and staff are working hard to understand this.

Williams explained that extra steps are being taken to ensure caregivers feel comfortable leaving loved ones at the center for the day.

“People often forget about caregivers,” she said. “And it takes a whole village to care for someone with dementia. We are proud to be part of the village.

Caregivers can book a half day or a full day at the centre.

“Then they have the ability to take a break, go to the doctor, go to work, whatever you need,” she said.

Williams explained that many people with dementia cannot safely be left home alone – and time spent at the center mitigates that danger.

“We know dementia,” she said. “We also know that great things can happen in the right environment. And that’s what we are, a place where people can thrive.

Williams worked as an assistant director at BakerRipley for four years, before becoming director in May 2021.

“One of the things I’m happiest about is that the day center was able to stay open,” she said. “Wonderful things are happening every day for our members.”

Scott added that adult day care costs about $40,000 less per year than long-term care options, which are often not covered by insurance. She said 88% of nursing home expenses are paid for by the family.

Sara Rozin has been bringing her husband, Haim, to the center regularly since 2019. Signs of dementia began in 2010 but began to progress rapidly in 2017.

“I was completely taken by surprise,” she said.

And that made life at home difficult.

“He couldn’t express his feelings,” Rozin said. “It created unnecessary tension that could have been avoided.”

A social worker told her about the Dementia Day Center. Rozin dialed their number, and soon after, her husband was there three days a week.

At first, Rozin said it was hard to get him to accept that he had to go to the center, but he ended up enjoying the activities.

“Slowly we got into a routine,” she said. “I am blessed that we have found this center for him. The center is doing a great job.

Rozin is passionate about supporting caregivers – and wants access to education right from the start.

“We need to come up with a plan,” she said. “The sick person suffers, there is no doubt about it. As caregivers, we don’t suffer like them, but we cry more. We don’t know where to turn or what to do.

Rozin suggests other caregivers be proactive and identify resources to support their difficult work, which often comes with no training and requires around-the-clock dedication.

“Don’t wait,” she said.

Lindsay Peyton is a freelance writer based in Houston.