Adult day care to expand in Arlington Heights

An adult day care that opened in Arlington Heights last year is expanding and will more than double its space as it adds more services for the population it serves.

Xilin Adult Day Care Center received village board approval on Monday to take on a 16,200-square foot addition in the office building at 145 E. Algonquin Road where it already occupies 13,000 square feet.

The space Xilin will occupy in the one-story office building had been vacant for nearly eight years, according to village documents.

The day care is for older adults who want to remain in the community, but cannot stay home alone during the day because of physical, social or mental impairments, said Executive Director Linda Yang. Although Xilin focuses on the Asian community in the suburbs, it is open to the public.

Xilin Association, the Naperville-based nonprofit that runs the adult day care and has other services in the suburbs, will use the expanded space in Arlington Heights to add a Chinese language learning center, performing arts and music classes and a social services office.

It also will be able to enroll 70 more adults in the day care program, which already has 130 people.

Yang said her organization has been working with local hospitals and will be serving more adults with memory care issues in the future.

"We have seen increasing needs for taking care of seniors who need memory care," she said.

Xilin employees 19 people, but will likely add nine more employees with the expansion. Xilin Adult Day Care is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Services cost about $70 per day, but it varies depending on severity of the person's health issues.

Seniors there can engage in music classes, yoga, English classes, dancing, knitting, painting and Bible study. They also can get their nails done or hair cut, and get transportation to doctor's appointments.

Yang said she has felt welcomed by the community since opening in June 2014 and called Arlington Heights "a big family."

"It is an absolutely fantastic facility and really provides for a need that is out there," said Trustee Tom Glasgow. "This is a natural expansion across the hallway for them."