AGE of Central Texas has opened a brand-new facility in hopes to focus on its Thrive Social & Wellness Center.
“AGE of Central Texas is a nonprofit that supports older adults and family caregivers as they navigate the realities and opportunities of aging and caregiving,” explained Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Anderson.
This support is found through six different programs, said Anderson: Memory Connections, an early memory loss program, as the organization specializes in dementia; caregiver education classes, which includes support groups; a technology learning lab, where older adults can learn to navigate technology and fraud prevention; a health equipment lending program for durable medical equipment and incontinence items that are received from the community; an information and resource center; and, finally, the Thrive Social & Wellness Center.
Originally, the nonprofit had locations in Williamson County and in Central Austin, but since acquiring land in 2019, AGE of Central Texas opened a facility in South Austin, located at 9400 Alice Mae Lane. At this location, Anderson expressed that staff is hoping to focus on this center.
The center is licensed by the state of Texas for 75 individuals and provides a supervised, structured environment for individuals with physical or cognitive needs, while supporting caregivers.
“These older adults can engage in activities and build friendships, which reduces loneliness and isolation. We also do health monitoring with these individuals, which is access to medical care that some of them don’t get,” Anderson explained. “It offers the family caregivers the chance to take a break, which reduces their stress and helps prevent caregiver burnout.”
According to Anderson, attendees should attend at least two days a week for a minimum of four hours because this allows them to form connections and gain support through friends.
When an individual arrives for the program, she explained that they will be greeted by staff, taken to a table with friends and a nurse will check on their medication and do checks throughout the day. Additionally, attendees are fed two meals a day, which includes breakfast, lunch and a snack, and join in activities throughout the day to prevent loneliness and isolation, said Anderson.
These activities, which are put on a calendar, range from chair Zumba to playing a game of horseshoes in the garden. There are also vendors that come in and aid throughout the day with these tasks.
The facility is open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m Monday through Friday. to provide an opportunity for caregivers that work to drop off their loved one before work and pick them up after.
The only requirement is that the attendees are within the older adult community — or have a cognitive dysfunction that makes the program appropriate for them — and do not require an assistant throughout the day, as there are not enough staff members for the one on one help that may be necessary.
“When we decided to put a building in South Austin, we did a lot of research around what other resources were available to older adults and family caregivers in that South Central Texas corridor. What we discovered was it really was a service desert … That was predominantly one of the reasons we moved into that space,” said Anderson.
One of the characteristics that makes this program and facility stand out, she continued, is that it is affordable compared to other options. Medicaid and Veterans Affairs is accepted, which makes it free, or private pay is available for $75 per day — also available on a sliding scale, if needed financially.
“If in-home care was necessary for that older adult, full-time, in-home care can cost [an estimated] $75,000 annually,” said Anderson. “[And] there’s some wonderful assisted living [homes] within the community, but assisted living for a private, one bedroom within assisted living facilities can cost up to $64,000 … If you wanted to attend the AGE center and you came five days a week every day, it would cost you $19,000.”
“There’s so many people who need us that don’t know about this particular program and so, if you know someone that needs us, please help direct them to us and let us be that supportive entity for their journey as a caregiver,” she stressed.
For more information, visit www. ageofcentraltx.org. The facility also takes monetary donations on its website or through its Amazon wishlist.
