Elderly and dementia patients stretch and move as part of their daily exercise routine at the Porterville adult day services facility. The movements, counting, and interaction are vital to keeping their minds at the best they can be.
"We are very, very good with dementia and Alzheimer's. That's what we've done mostly here but we've had strokes, we've had Parkinson's," said Cheri Taylor, Executive Director.
The non-profit which is licensed by the State Department of Social Services acts as a temporary caregiver for any adult who can't be left home alone. They pick up and drop off patients at the beginning and end of the day, and tailor activities to their needs.
While the facility is still serving it's patients, just a week ago it was in jeopardy of closing. The Porterville Adult Day Services is $25,000 in the hole, and it all started with last fall's government shut down. The federally-funded facility didn't receive it's grant money during the government shut down, and even after the government opened back up.
Now, they have gotten word that next month they will receive back-pay on what the government owes them -- but going several months without their grant money has left them in a dire situation. "We are now kind of behind because we have now borrowed from people and the bank to make ends meet in between," said Taylor.
Realizing their federal grant money may not always be secure, the facility is looking to the community to keep the future of Tulare County's only adult day facility secure, and open. Porterville Adult Day Services has also started an emergency fund to help them in case they are ever in this situation again.
They're still not sure whether their contract will be renewed at the end of this fiscal year.
