Social - November 2002

Program is a break for caregivers — and those they care for

By DIANE TURBYFILL, LTN Staff Writer

November 1, 2002 - Seventy-nine-year-old Bud Richards spends most days at home. He suffers from chronic back pain as well as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and is cared for by his daughter, Luci McFarlin.

McFarlin says her days are packed, caring for her father, husband and children. Recently, though, the Maiden woman found relief for herself and her father in Adult Life Programs.

“I love it. He loves it,” she says. “It gives me a break, and it gives him an outing.”

Adult Life Programs recently came to the area. The center, once based in Newton, is now located in Catawba Valley Baptist Church off Buffalo Shoals in Maiden. The church has donated the space and made various renovations.

“They have been so gracious,” says Program Director Barbie White. “Anything we’ve needed, they’ve done for us.”

Work totaling $20,000 brought the building to code and enabled the program to open operations at the beginning of October.

Adult Life Programs is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for people 18-years-old or older. White says patients range in age from mid-30s to 100. Participants in the program play games, do exercises and attend classes.

Participating in activities — and center chores — is optional.

White says tasks as simple as setting tables and taking out the garbage become important to the adults.

“We really encourage independence,” she says. “We feel like it makes them feel like a part of society; like they’re useful.”

Bud Richards is living proof of the effects the program can have.

“I look forward to going,” he says. “It gets my mind off my worries.”

Richards says when he is participating in activities at the center, his back pain soothes and his nerves are settled.

McFarlin has noticed a difference in her father.

“When he leaves home, he’s anxious. When he comes home, he’s in a good mood.”

McFarlin says her father spent Tuesday night making treat bags for his friends at the center. Unfortunately, he had to miss his Wednesday visit when he wasn’t feeling well.

“It just tore him up because he couldn’t go.”

The Adult Life Program is a non-profit organization funded by the state Department of Social Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, grants and participant fees. The facility can accept 24 participants. Cost is approximately $40 per day and transportation is provide within a 10 mile radius.

White says the relationships built during daily activities is priceless.

“You can not help but to fall in love with them,” she says. “When I go home at the end of the day, I feel like I’ve made a difference in somebody’s life.”

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For more information about Adult Life Programs, call 828-428-9010.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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