Dance Steps Help Open Care Center for Elderly

Hilda Sensenburger, 91, sat almost motionless Wednesday listening to an instructor at the Fitzgerald House in Thousand Oaks belt out commands to move her arms and legs.

But as soon as Sensenburger heard the tinkle of a piano, the tiny nonagenarian, who suffers from memory loss, began to sway and kick her legs as some of about 15 other frail seniors joined in.

Thus the city’s new day-care center for frail, elderly people was christened with a can-can.

Seniors such as Sensenburger have reason to celebrate the opening of the Fitzgerald House.

The center, which opened this month at 401 Hodencamp Road, is five times as large as its former residence on Flittner Circle and eventually will be able to house up to 40 seniors.

Only 22 people now attend the center’s programs and there is a waiting list for the remaining spaces. The old center could only accommodate up to 14 people.

“We’ve got lots of elbow room,” Fitzgerald House director Lynn Engelbert said.

Counselors at the Fitzgerald House give classes in music, dance and exercise and hold discussions on current events to encourage mental stimulation. Programs can cost up to $30 a day.

Unlike the old center, the new Fitzgerald House will be able to accept seniors in wheelchairs and expand its programs. Next January, it will start the county’s first day-care program for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease, Engelbert said.

Established in 1977, the Fitzgerald House is named after Thousand Oaks senior activist Pat Fitzgerald, said Eleanor Roche, president of the Conejo Valley Senior Concerns board of directors.

Fitzgerald House also houses the administrative offices of Conejo Valley Senior Concerns, a nonprofit organization that runs other programs such as Meals on Wheels, and counseling and support groups.

Mayor Robert E. Lewis said the Fitzgerald House is unique because it was built with the help of the city, two developers and Conejo Valley Senior Concerns.

Thousand Oaks contributed $200,000, and the Lincoln Property and Shinwa Development companies formed a partnership and contributed $300,000 and a half-acre parcel. Conejo Valley Senior Concerns has raised about $210,000 of the $250,000 that it needs for furniture.

Many of the 22 clients who attend classes at the Fitzgerald House said they have few places to turn to for care and companionship in their later years. A few said they had experienced deep depression before coming to the center.

“I call this my haven,” said Midge Walburn, 66, of Thousand Oaks, as she sat in an exercise class.

About a year ago, Walburn began suffering from a debilitating illness that doctors have been unable to diagnose.

Since then, she has gradually begun losing strength in her legs and arms. Although she still drives a car, Walburn must use a cane to walk.

On her almost daily visits to the Fitzgerald House, Walburn participates in non-rigorous exercises that help keep her body and mind in shape.

“I used to be independent. That’s what’s so frustrating. I can’t do what I used to be able to do,” she said. “The companionship really makes a difference.”

Gloria Brown, 67, of Oak Park credits the Fitzgerald House’s programs with raising her mother’s flagging spirits.

Because her 84-year-old mother, Ruth Swanson, can never be left alone, Brown’s family has felt the strain of caring for her.

Since Swanson began attending classes at the Fitzgerald House five months ago, Brown has had time to take care of errands. And the smile has returned to her mother’s face, Brown said.

“Mother’s in excellent health. She just has no memory left,” Brown said. “Her sense of humor’s improved because she has a happy time here. She’s been dancing and having a good time.”