PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Sally White helps her husband of 46 years get dressed, fed and on the bus for the short ride from their home to Third Age Adult Day Center four mornings a week.
After raising four children and retiring from their teaching jobs, the Whites each began studying for the ministry. During their studies, Rodger White suffered a brain bleed in 2013 and memory problems he’d been having for several years began to escalate. Sally White said his memory loss has stolen from her the intellectually sharp, active man she knew and the life they had planned as they grew old together.
That may account for only about 237,400 older Americans participating in structured day programs, according to the Centers for Disease Control, even though adults 65 and older make up 18% of the U.S. population. Since 1987, 13 adult day centers have opened and closed in the two counties, which Kyle attributed to a lack of mass public transportation, cost and non-flexible hours.
Marilyn Vargo, 79, of Milton, Pennsylvania, has been attending VNA Caring Center in Shamokin since February. Vargo, who for years worked as an administrative assistant to several Bucknell University presidents, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a fall about five years ago and now has short-term memory loss and is unable to care for herself.
Reading the newspaper is “vital to keeping them engaged. It opens up memories,” Loeper said. The center is filled with tables where clients can work on puzzles, paintings and arts and crafts. It also has space for daily exercise. Third Age Adult Day Program is the only center of its kind in the area. It's open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at a cost of $20 per hour. Transportation is provided at an extra cost to clients within about a 20-mile range.
“We need to bring an awareness that there is more support needed across the board. We have this aging tsunami coming toward us,” Michlovich said. “Everyone is living longer and they’re being diagnosed so much younger. The need has exploded but the funding support is just not there.”
Adult Day Services William Zagorski Rodger White Adult Day Programs Adult Day Center Marilyn Vargo Homebound Seniors Zagorski Angela Loeper National Council On Aging
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