THOUSAND OAKS : Group Raises Funds for Seniors’ Center

During a preview tour of a new senior day-care center in Thousand Oaks Tuesday, the president of the Conejo Valley Senior Concerns announced that her group has raised a majority of the $250,000 it needs to furnish the new building and to pay for its first year of operation.

Eleanor Roche said her nonprofit group has raised $204,000 for the new 5,500-square-foot Fitzgerald Senior Day Care Center, scheduled to open in August. Accompanying Roche on her tour Tuesday were representatives of the Thousand Oaks Rotary and the Los Robles Regional Medical Center, major contributors to the center.

Conejo Valley Senior Concerns depends on private corporate donations and community support to provide a wide range of services to area seniors. Since 1978 the group has occupied the Fitzgerald House, a small converted home owned by the city of Thousand Oaks, where it operates a day-care support program for 15 frail seniors.

In 1989, the seniors group asked the Thousand Oaks City Council to find a larger site. Grant Brimhall, the City Manager, referred the group to Lincoln Property Company, which donated the land, built the new center and contributed $300,000 toward its construction. The City of Thousand Oaks provided an additional $200,000, according to Frances K. Prince, executive director of Senior Concerns.

In return for providing the community facility, Prince said the city agreed to give high priority status to Lincoln’s plans to build an adjoining apartment complex now under construction.

The expanded Fitzgerald Senior Day Care Center will provide weekday respite for care givers and a support program for 40 seniors at a sliding scale fee of up to $5 an hour. The day-care program includes meals, crafts, entertainment and various other social activities.

The new center is located at 401 Hodencamp Road, a block from the old site. It is five times larger than the old building, which will revert back to the city of Thousand Oaks.

The new facility will include a special section for people who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. The special section, which will accommodate 10, will be the only one of its kind in the county, said Terry Jones, a Senior Concerns board member.

“This program is specifically designed for people with early stages of Alzheimer’s who require special activities to promote a positive self-image and to maintain current functioning,” said Lynn Engelbert, director of Fitzgerald Center.

“Our goal,” Engelbert continued, “is to keep the frail elderly from being prematurely admitted to a long-term care facility and to keep them mentally and physically active.”