Town of Huntington, NY - News Details
11/19/2014 - Huntington Adult Day Care Center Marks 30th Anniversary
Huntington – The Town of Huntington’s Adult Day Care Center – the first adult day care center opened by a Long Island Town – marked its 30th anniversary on Friday, November 14 with a cake and live entertainment that was enjoyed by the center’s current 64 members.
“There were people who took a great deal of pain and effort to make this the one and only adult day care center that we had on Long Island,” Huntington Supervisor Frank P. Petrone said during a program marking the anniversary of what at the time was the only Town-operated program (Southold’s opened the next year). Joining Supervisor Petrone at the ceremony were Councilman Mark Cuthbertson and Councilwoman Susan A. Berland.
Speaking of the current program, he added, “It is an opportunity for some of you to get away, and to be together. You have the opportunity here to do things, which is so important. We celebrate the commitment you are making, your family is making and the Town of Huntington is making.”
Adult Day Care, located in the Village Green Center at 423 Park Avenue, serves frail elderly and persons with cognitive challenges. It provides a structured program of daily activities, crafts, parties and day trips that help maintain physical and cognitive abilities, socialization, companionship and enhanced self-esteem. The center is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the program includes a continental breakfast and main meal. Individual transportation, with handicapped accessibility, is provided free of charge for Town of Huntington residents. The fees are budget-friendly and are accepted by some long-term care insurance plans and Medicaid.
The center opened its doors on November 13, 1984, capping a five year effort to explore the feasibility and the details of offering a place where frail elderly and those with cognitive issues could receive support, care and programs meeting their needs, and family caregivers could experience respite from their responsibilities while having the peace of mind that their loved one was being looked after.
The exploratory effort included visits by the Geriatric Day Care Committee of the Huntington Health Council to the Hillside Aged Program in Manhattan and the Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged Day Care Program in the Bronx. The concept was subsequently discussed at a Town Senior Citizens Advisory Board meeting; the chair of the health council geriatric day care committee noted at that meeting that the Town’s Village Green Center would be a good location because it would “easily mesh” with the Town’s senior nutrition program.
When the center opened on November 13, 1984, it had three members. By the end of the month, that had risen to 11. Sr. Carmelina Lally was the Director of the Day Care Program; she attended the 30th anniversary celebration and helped cut the cake.
The program was originally open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and had two drivers who drove Town vans to pick up participants and take them home. In the first year, a total of 55 people enrolled. The Town of Huntington contributed $30,000 to the opening of the program. Suffolk County Department of Health provided staff training and nursing support for the program.
The facility expanded in 2006 to increase the size of the dining area and large group room and add two activity rooms, additional bathroom facilities, and a vestibule. Since 2006, the center has had a Caregiver Respite Care Contract with Suffolk County Office for the Aging, in which they will pay for one day/week attendance for those ADC members who qualify. Additionally, the center has three active contracts for Medicaid Managed Long-Term Care.
The center has a long-term friendship with the Melville Lions Club. In 1986 the Melville, Northport-Centerport, and the East Northport Lions Clubs purchased a patio awning. In 1989, the Northport-Centerport Lions and the Northport-East Northport Kiwanis Club purchased a duplicating machine. Since 1986, the Melville Lions have funded an annual Holiday Party and from 1998-2005 they donated monies from the yearly Lobsterfest fund raiser held at the Centerport Beach pavilion.
As part of the celebration, Domenick Torrillo, who has been part of the program for three years and whose father-in-law was a member previously, led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance and in the singing of “America” and “God Bless America.” Alicia Royon, another member, helped cut the cake. And two caregivers whose relatives have been members spoke about their experience.
Diane Cavaluzzi, whose mother, Frances Harkness, has been attending since December 2012, said, “Every day she looks forward to attending. My family and I see the joy in her face when we pick her up at the end of the day. Knowing that mom is in a safe, warm, caring environment gives me a great sense of peace and puts me at ease so that I can keep my appointments, do my errands and well as some socializing.”
Louise Farley, whose husband, Gregory Farley, attended for about two years before the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease necessitated his move to a nursing home, read a letter on behalf of her and her daughters. The letter, written by one of the daughters, said. “Over the past two years, my father, Gregory Farley has benefitted significantly from the nutritious meals and the highly developed programs available to him and administered with the utmost care and regard for his special needs. Knowing that he was in a safe, secure and compassionate environment gave our mother, his primary caregiver, the freedom to tend to her own needs, and it gave three out-of-state daughters and their families much needed peace of mind.”
For more information about the program, call 631-351-3293.