St. Clair Shores — Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan is renewing its commitment to serving Metro Detroit with a new facility in St. Clair Shores.

On Jan. 22, the organization opened a new Adult Day Health Services facility for Macomb County residents, at 27113 Harper Ave., to care for elderly persons who have dementia.

“We’re excited to be here in St. Clair Shores,” said Mindy Rubio, program manager for CCSEM’s Adult Day Services. “Here we have a place for people who care for others with dementia to drop them off to socialize with others while they go to work or need to do something where they can’t also take care of another person.”

The Adult Day Health Center is open three days a week, Rubio said.

The facility features a social space where music, card games and a television are available, a bathroom with a handicap-accessible shower, a staff trained in CPR and occasional visits from nurses who do wellness checks.

“This is a safe environment for individuals with dementia to get out of the house,” Rubio said. “What I hear from family members is they sleep better when they are engaged in activities throughout the day.”

Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Byrnes was on hand to bless the facility, along with Msgr. Charles Kosanke, CCSEM executive director Jason Shanks and St. Clair Shores Councilwoman Candice Rusie.

“We already had locations in Warren and Auburn Hills, but this is such a welcoming community, we felt we had to be here,” said Herschell Masten, Catholic Charities’ director of senior services.

Families enrolling someone in the Adult Day Health Center can do so for $12 an hour, open to all who live within a 15-mile radius in Macomb County.

Masten said the center will work with families who need financial assistance, primarily through the Area Agency on Aging 1-B, which is responsible for services to the elderly in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Washtenaw counties, and private donations.

Those interested can schedule a tour and a free lunch visit, where caretakers can monitor how well the potential client handles the environment.

The center isn’t meant to be “daycare for adults,” according to Rubio, but rather a place for people who can no longer manage themselves in a traditional senior center setting and allow caregivers a brief respite.

“There are so many people who have to take care of people with dementia, and it’s a 24/7 job,” Rubio said. “This gives them a chance to take a breather, and it puts the client in a setting where they can interact with other people instead of being cooped up all day.”

 

Day Health Center

To schedule a tour of the Adult Day Health Services Program, contact Mindy Rubio at (586) 759-8700 ext. 3803. Hours of operation are 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Cost is $12 an hour, with financial assistance available.