MONTGOMERY – The area’s last adult daycare program asked the Montgomery County Commission to help them host a workshop for people caring for people with dementia.
Successful Living Center Director Veronica McKenzie said they will host a workshop on Aug. 14 about using humor as a tool when caring for those with dementia. She asked each commissioner to donate $2,500 for the workshop.
If they can get financial support, more workshops will be hosted in the future, McKenzie said.
“We hope to provide more educational sessions in the coming year because we have some caregivers who are new and don’t know how to navigate this journey of caregiving,” McKenzie said.
Successful Living Center is a nonprofit organization that maintains a daycare program caring for elderly adults who are dealing with early to moderate Alzheimer's and similar conditions.
“We keep our cost minimal so people can afford it,” McKenzie told the commission. “We are the only adult daycare program in the county. There were three others. All of them have closed.”
She said that the center averages around five or six patients per day for a charge of $75 per day for care and covers lunch and snacks. Money is tight, and the 75-year-old building is showing its age, McKenzie said.
“We provide a safe place for people with dementia to come and socialize with one another and have a safe place to do activities throughout the day,” she told the commission.
Though she stated that they try to keep the fees reasonably low they do have a contract with the Alabama CARES program that reimburses them for those who cannot pay, though this takes some time to process.
Commissioner Isaiah Sankey took the time to praise McKenzie and the nonprofit’s services. He pledged $2,500 from his discretionary funds.
“I don’t really know if we appreciate what she’s doing unless we’ve had family members who have suffered from dementia and the respite care, the relief that the family members actually need and to have the adult daycare available, to have someone come into the home and assist with feeding, dressing and meal preparation – all of those services are just essential to the health and wellbeing of not only the recipient but the family members as well,” he said.
Commissioners Carmen Moore-Ziegler and Justin Constanza pledged $1,500 from their agencies. Constanza encouraged giving more next year when more funds are available.
The Montgomery County Commission meets on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 101 South Lawrence Street. Information sessions begin at 10 a.m. followed by the formal meeting.
Livestreamed meetings can be seen on the commission’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
Agendas with additional details can be found at the commission’s documents section of the website.
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