Willowbrook Adult Day Center offers vibrant community for older adults

Willowbrook, a WesleyLife Adult Day Center, has served Jasper County for a full 25 years this past June. The facility offers older adults a chance at independence and provides a healthy, vibrant atmosphere in which to foster interaction with other older participants during the daytime.

The idea of having adult day services in Jasper County began in 1985 with the League of Women Voters. The group conducted a needs survey, determining such services would be a beneficial resource within the community. Shortly after, Willis Adult Care of Des Moines approved a location in Newton, and county funds were secured to start the program — originally named Willis Adult Care of Newton.

In 1989, the name changed to Willowbrook Adult Day Care, and the next year a building fund drive was launched to raise $235,000 for a new care facility location. The goal was exceeded and Willowbrook opened at its current location, 501 E. Second St. N., in August 1992. It has gone through yet another name change since, with its official name now being Willowbrook, a WesleyLife Adult Day Center.

“Our mission is to have a place where people can go during the day to have socialization, activities, nutritious meals … perhaps provide some respite for their care partners,” said Margot Voshell, director of private duty and Willowbrook Adult Day Center. “At the end of the day, they (families) can have their loved one come home again.”

Program Coordinator Dee Gibbs knows that many people are not familiar with the concept of adult day care, perhaps mistaking it more as a babysitting service for older adults rather than the active atmosphere it really strives to maintain.

“I think a lot of people aren’t educated with adult day,” Gibbs said. “A lot of this generation didn’t even use child care, so they’re not used to asking someone help take care of their family. They’re not at a point where they’re ready for a nursing home.”

Adult day services can be a viable alternative to placement in a nursing home or other facility, especially when participants aren’t ready for that high level of support.

The non-profit is regulated by the Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals, and daily activities are overseen by a registered nurse. Programming is designed to keep adult day care participants mentally stimulated and active, and includes community speakers, art projects, games, a postcard club and more.

“We also focus on exercise,” Voshell said, noting each participant is medically assessed before admission to the facility. “That’s a big part of growing older, is to keep moving. It helps mind and body and spirit.”

For folks who can’t drive themselves or prefer not to ask their family for a ride, Willowbrook offers reliable transportation. A bus service is available for participants Monday through Friday, and runs all throughout Jasper County.

“It helps people feel independent that they’re not relying on someone else to give them a ride,” Voshell said.

The center is also a great place for older adults to foster lasting relationships with other people their age. Participants Ron Nokes and Herb Barrett — best friends since meeting at Willowbrook four years ago — play dominoes together at the center every Tuesday and Thursday.

“Once he starts winning, he just doesn’t quit!” Nokes said of Barrett with a chuckle.

But there was a time Nokes was skeptical about going to an adult day care center.

“My daughter said, ‘Dad, you’ve got to have something to do,’ and all I could imagine was a nursing home type of thing,” Nokes said. “But they invited me to play games on my first visit here. I’d really recommend Willowbrook, just the fellowship is really good. And there’s good food 99 percent of the time.”

Barrett, on the other hand, believed adult day care to be a blessing in disguise from the start.

“I came one or two months after Ron did,” he said. “Alice (wife) needed relief and I’m a handful, so it was just a Godsend for the two of us.”

The pair became acquainted throughout the years on the bus ride to the center. Barrett is from Prairie City and Nokes used to live in Mitchellville.

“For just about three years we rode the bus together through thick and thin,” Nokes said. “Back in the earlier days I farmed and Herb was a farmer too, so we’ve got a lot in common.”

Daily fees at Willowbrook cost $51.50, but Voshell noted that there are many avenues from which to receive financial help. Assistance may be available through grants, Medicaid, funds from Aging Resources of Central Iowa, some long-term care insurance policies and the Veteran’s Administration, to name a few.

No matter the cost, participants at the center get quite a bang for their buck. Besides all the programming provided on a daily basis, Willowbrook strives to create a homey, community feel for all who attend the center. There’s a coffeeshop inside that serves fresh baked muffins in the mornings, a small workout center with stationary bicycles and renovated patios with new furniture and small garden plots.

But Gibbs said the most valuable resources at the center are the participants themselves.

“Reminiscing, I think, is an important part of what we do,” Gibbs said. “There’s a couple different generations here; there’s a lot of learning you can do from these folks. I always think if you’re not learning something new every day, you’re not listening.

“They’re the people that have been in our community who have worked hard and raised families. They’ve been the coaches and Bible study teachers, bus drivers, the people who did the volunteering. We’ve learned so much from them than we could ever give back.”

Hours of operation at the Newton facility are from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information on Willowbrook, visit www.wesleylife.org or call Voshell at (641) 791-4500.

Amy Gronauer can be contacted at 792-3121 ext. 426 or via e-mail at agronauer@newtondailynews.com.