Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 22, 1994 TAG: 9411030006
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
And each weekday morning, without fail, she asks him the day and date. She knows, James Lanier says, that someone at the center will ask her the same as part of a daily reality orientation exercise.
Helen Lanier, 69, has Alzheimer's disease, a progressive, irreversible neurological disorder that causes gradual memory loss, impaired judgment and disorientation. She was diagnosed two years ago.
Caring for her "had gotten a little rough," said James Lanier, 70. A year and a half ago, he started bringing Helen Lanier to the care center.
It has given James Lanier several hours a day to do the grocery shopping, washing and the cleaning and to go to doctor's appointments without worrying about Helen Lanier's well-being.
"It makes me feel more comfortable," James Lanier said. "I know she'll be OK, and it gives her something to do during the day. It's been good for her."
Beth Mabry, resources coordinator for the Adult Care Center of Roanoke Valley, says each day she watches the Laniers, who have been married for 51 years, walk out hand in hand.
"It's a wonderful love story, that at the same time breaks your heart," she said. "It's a story we see over and over again."
The Adult Care Center of the Roanoke Valley has been called one of the best-kept secrets in the Roanoke area. Its two centers - one at the VA Medical Center, and another on Williamson Road in Northeast Roanoke - provide a bridge between living independently and institutionalized care.
Moreover, it relieves the sometimes unbearable strain on families who care full time for an elderly relative.
This week the Adult Care Center of Roanoke Valley joins more than 3,000 other centers across the country in observing National Adult Day Care Center Week, honoring a service that provides care to thousands of impaired elderly people, about 125 of them in the Roanoke area.
Yet, the centers operate below capacity, Mabry says. Given that 20 percent of the valley's population is elderly, "there's no reason we shouldn't have a waiting list," she said.
"But the whole concept is still unfamiliar. We're fighting a double battle of educating the community and letting them know what we have available."
The centers are open from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. The number of participants varies. Some people stay the full day, every day. Others' visits are infrequent, as some families use the centers only when needed, Mabry said.
The cost - averaging $32-$36 a day - is about one-third the cost of institutional care, Mabry said. Seventy percent of the participants get some kind of scholarship assistance, she said.
Participants are involved in a variety of activities, designed to keep the mind and body active and to provide social involvement.
"Every day, we exercise the full person," Mabry said. "We touch the body, mind, sensory, social and psychological needs and give them a sense of belonging. One caregiver can't possibly provide all of that."
At the VA center, a section recently opened for participants with Alzheimer's or dementia. They are much more sensory-oriented than other participants and need controlled stimulation, Mabry said.
"Everything in here is meant to be touched or picked up," she said, pointing to a table covered with squares of different kinds of fabric. A small group of participants gathered around a care center employee, who led songs on a small electric piano.
The section has its own kitchen and eating area. It is smaller, more family-style than the larger dining area used by the majority of participants.
"Many of these folks were not feeding themselves," Mabry said. "But here there's no pressure of socialization. They can concentrate on the task of feeding themselves."
Lula Taylor sat next to her husband, Raymond, whose eyes were fixed on the employee's ringing keyboard. Lula Taylor has been bringing her husband of 64 years to the center since last September.
Raymond Taylor, 82, fell in a church parking lot two years ago and suffered brain damage. His condition has steadily deteriorated, said Lula Taylor, also 82.
"We had such a good life," she said. "But that came to a screeching halt after his fall. He's been going downhill mentally and physically.
"The care center has been wonderful. With his condition, you can't expect much improvement. But when he's here, he's happy."
The Adult Care Center at the VA Medical Center in Salem is in Building 76-1. The phone number is (703) 983-1026. The other center, called the Liberty Center, is at 2707 Williamson Road, NE, Roanoke. The phone number is (703) 362-5741.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***