By Debbie Rogers
An adult day care geared toward seniors with memory loss has been forgotten by the state, according to the Wood County Committee on Aging executive director.
At Wednesday’s board meeting, Denise Niese said state legislators earmarked this funding in November. If awarded, the funding will help open an adult day care at the Wood County Senior Center.
Memory Lane Care is still waiting for the Ohio Department of Aging to send out a request for proposals so they can apply, said board President Paul Herringshaw.
“Everything is pretty much ready to go, except the funding piece,” he said. “The final piece of the puzzle is funding.”
The day care is at a standstill, Niese said.
“Until that request for proposal is facilitated — the funds released — they do not have the start-up funds to begin services in Wood County,” she said.
Niese that she has a meeting with the Ohio Department of Aging director on Thursday and will inquire about the progress.
“I will be asking her directly about the status about these restricted or earmarked adult day service funds that are from the 2022 state budget,” she said. “Hopefully, we will get an acknowledgement or a timeline.”
Once the funds are released, it will be at least two months before the day care at the senior center can open, Niese said.
In a September presentation, the committee on aging board heard that the Toledo-based Memory Lane Care Services will operate the Bowling Green site.
Memory Lane serves five counties in the Northwest Ohio area, including Wood. The largest service they provide is adult day care.
There is one day care option provided, in Toledo. Bowling Green would be the second.
At the August 2022 meeting, the Wood County Committee on Aging Board agreed to go along with the release of state fund totaling $35,432 for staffing and supplies for the Bowling Green day care site. The money is from Older American Act funds.
In a followup interview Wednesday, Niese said that Memory Lane Care would probably need about $300,000 from the state to supplement their grants and other funding, for three years of operation.
The money that was earmarked from the state last fall was to restart adult day cares — many closed during and after the pandemic — and expand the service, she said. There was about $8 million set aside.
The Bowling Green center, which has capacity for 22, would possibly start with six clients.
A request for comment from the Ohio Department on Aging was not immediately answered.
