Batavia's Elderday Center celebrating 25 years of helping seniors

Barb and Chuck kibbutz over coffee and a newspaper to start their day. David works on a jigsaw puzzle. Another woman draws.

It's the usual gradual start to a day at the Elderday Center in Batavia, which is marking 25 years of helping senior citizens.

"Our mission is community," Executive Director Traci Eggleston said.

The center doesn't just keep an eye on elderly people with disabilities or memory problems. It helps them to stay in their homes longer. Facilities such as Elderday have been shown to lengthen that time by more than 14 months, Eggleston said.

Besides emotional and social benefits, there is a fiscal one: It costs less than nursing care, saving that money for when it is really needed.

The start

Elderday started in November 1990, when someone left money to the St. Charles Congregational United Church of Christ for senior aid.

A task force decided that the Tri-Cities needed an adult day-care place.

It moved to Geneva Lutheran Church, and then settled in 2002 at space it rents at Bethany Lutheran Church in Batavia. In 2014, 45 clients were enrolled.

The center is a registered nonprofit organization. Clients come from as far south as Oswego, and up to South Elgin.

Clients are charged fees, which cover about half the cost. The center also receives money from governments, grants, the United Way and fundraisers.

People attend for a minimum of five hours a day, at least twice a week. They have to be at least 55.

They do not have to have dementia, though in 2014, 84 percent did.

Regular attendance helps them maintain their memory reflex, retain fine and gross motor skills and remember the clients and staff. A 2014 program evaluation found that 72 percent of enrollees stayed at the same mental state as when they joined, or improved.

But the work is hidden in fun.

"They look at it more as a club, not a care center," said Susan Oppenborn, the center's administrative assistant.

"I just like coming here - talking, meeting everybody," Barb said. Clients' last names are withheld due to federal medical privacy law rules.

"I highly recommend this place. It beats sitting at home all day," Chuck said.

They exercise every day to maintain flexibility and strength, including seated yoga and Baggo tournaments. A podiatrist visits to perform foot care covered under Medicare.

There are arts, crafts, music therapy, pet therapy, and guided discussions of past and current events.

"We can make it feel like it's lots of fun," Eggleston said. "They just enjoy the variety."

Nothing is just a time filler, even a short walk in the gymnasium. A walk relieves anxiety that accompanies dementia, especially as it grows in the afternoon, staff members say.

Routine important

The staff makes care plans for each client weekly. A support group, open to the public, meets once a month.

"It is absolutely an incredible blessing for both of us," said Lindsey of Batavia, whose husband, Dick, attends. "That is positive for both of us."

Eggleston, who grew up in Batavia, has served former teachers of hers. She and other staff members enjoy hearing the clients talk about their past.

"It's a privilege to walk with our (Elderday) families to that next level of care," Eggleston said.