A critically needed service eliminated by state budget cuts nearly a year ago is returning to Ashland.
The FIVCO Service Agency soon will open Boyd County Adult Day Care at 1409 Blackburn Ave. The center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Its two employees currently are being trained.
Barbara Brown, executive director of FIVCO Service Agency, said while the center will not administer medical treatments or medications, one employee is a registered nurse and the other has experience working in assisted living facilities. Their training will include elder abuse prevention, communication, stress management, CPR and first aid, among other things. Fees for the state-funded program will be based on a sliding scale.
The service primarily is aimed at older adults with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia-related issues, but Brown said people recovering from strokes and other medical ailments that limit their mobility can also use the center.
The center can accept 10 clients living in Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Greenup or Lawrence counties
The FIVCO Service Agency operated an adult day care center at 29th Street and Carter Avenue that was forced to close in February of 2009 because of state budget cuts.
An adult day care center can relieve stress by giving family members a break from caring for an older adult who needs constant supervision.
Caregivers can use the time their loved ones are at the adult day care center to do their grocery shopping, visit friends or just relax for a few hours with the assurance that their family member is in good hands at the center.
Caregivers lost that service when the state’s ongoing budget woes forced the adult day care center to close. Its return — even for only 21/2 days a week — is great news.
