BLUE ASH, Ohio — Barry Kogan can be found reading books, telling stories and socializing at his adult day center in Blue Ash.
“It’s easy to get lonely and terribly internalized,” the 79-year-old retired Rabbi said. “This is the exact opposite.”
“Here, the world is brought to you again and again,” he said.
On a typical day, Kogan and his fellow attendees will enjoy socialization, physical activities and mental stimulation through journaling and more.
Adult day centers are a bridge to full-time memory care for some. It provides support to those with mild or developing cognitive issues.
But the benefit extends to those outside of the center, said Becky Borello, manager of the Jewish Family Service Adult Day Services program.
“It lessens the burden of their care-giving load,” she said.
Caregiver burnout is real, Borello said, and a program like this allows some time during the day for individuals to step back from the 24/7 responsibility.
That’s been especially helpful for Chuck Albers, who is the primary caregiver for his wife. She was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's.
“This one has been by far the best because of the consistency,” he said about the program, which runs for four hours three days per week. “That's what I need. That's what [my wife] needs.
That need is why the Jewish Family Service created the program in the first place.
Ken Wilson, program operations VP for the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio, said the region has lost half of its adult day centers since the pandemic, when many were forced to close.
There’s now 10 facilities remaining, with fewer in rural areas.
“There's only one adult day center in Clermont County. There's one available in Warren and Butler. And there's none in Clinton County,” Wilson said. “The adult day center needs to be located close to where the individual lives for it to be practical."
To get the numbers up statewide, Ohio is offering grants funding through House Bill 45.
Wilson said the facilities are critical to delaying a patient’s transition into a nursing facility.
“We can delay that by providing good services and good support and keep them safe, keep them independent in the community in a setting that they're familiar with,” he said.
For Kogan, whose wife suggested he attend to help stay mentally active, the conversations he has with others “makes life worthwhile.”
Click for more information from the Council on Aging or about the program from the Jewish Family Service.
