Adult day care coming to Morgan City

If all goes well, Morgan City will have a new adult day care program by late fall.

Members of the Morgan City community heard about the program Saturday at the Hearts of Care Banquet at the St. Mary Senior Citizen Center, home of St. Mary AARP.

Christians Aiming to Reach Everyone (CARE) Community Development Corp., a nonprofit organization in Morgan City, hosted the banquet. It’s a faith-based organization affiliated with Lee Chapel A.M.E. church, pastored by the Rev. Andrew J. Simms.

The first mission of CARE is to build Morgan City Adult Day Health Care. It will serve elderly people and adults who can’t be left alone because of physical or mental disabilities.

“When a patient or a family member is confined to the household all the time, they get very wary about life,” Morgan City Adult Day Care Health Care Center presenter Charmaine Washington said.

Washington is a professional in the hospice health care industry.

“Television is great, if people like television. But guess what? There’s no back and forth communication. That thing can’t talk to you.

“And as much as we like playing with our cell phones they will never take the place of a human being.”

The new program will provide social, health and rehabilitative services.

Nurses and social workers will be on staff at the adult day care, which means more job opportunities available in the city.

Washington asked the audience to allow relatives who might need the service to come to the day care. “The center will provide an atmosphere that nurtures and stimulates the social side of a loved one,” she said.

“Sometimes people don’t like talking to people because nobody talks to them,” Washington said.

Program participants can come as early as 8 a.m. and leave around 3 p.m. on Monday through Friday.

Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurance are payment options for services.

There are about four adult day care centers in Baton Rouge, she said. Across the United States, there are approximately 4,600 centers.

“But it’s a great, great experience because you keep the people involved with life and living,” Washington said.

Morgan City Adult Day Care is expected to open November 2016.

The Rev. Simms is also the president of the CARE board members. Collectively, the board members have over 100 years combined health care experience.