SAN CLEMENTE : Center Helps Seniors Stay Independent

It was about six years ago, Ruth Blue said, that her husband passed away and her arthritis got to the point that she could no longer drive or do her volunteer work at a local nutrition center.

For some time after that, the 84-year-old woman said, she was in a “deep mood.” All that changed when Blue became involved at the Adult Day Health Care Center. The center, originally founded in 1982 by the nonprofit San Clemente Seniors Inc., has been serving south Orange County senior citizens for more than 15 years.

“It’s done wonders for me,” Blue said. “I don’t know what I’d do without this place. Coming here is something I look forward to. I never once dreamed I would get along as well as I do by myself.”

For about $49 a day, senior citizens receive a full range of services, from social activities and physical therapy to group counseling. Transportation and meals also are provided. About half of the center’s 100 clients cover their costs through Medi-Cal, while about 25% pay the full fee and 25% are helped through a low-income scholarship program.

The state-licensed center has a paid staff of 12 specialists, but it also relies heavily on donations, grants and charitable work from various community groups, said director Carol Quintana.

From exercise bikes and weights to the eight-track tape player and accompanying Percy Faith, Lawrence Welk and Mario Lanza cassettes, donations from such groups as the San Clemente Kiwanis Club are visible throughout the center.

Almost two years ago, the center moved from its cramped quarters in downtown San Clemente to a new 8,000-square-foot facility on Calle Frontera that has a view of the Pacific Ocean. Much of the activity at the center is found in the recreation room, where senior citizens sing, dance, play cards, read and socialize.

New to the center this fall is an Alzheimer’s program for low-income senior citizens, made possible through a $48,760 grant from San Diego-based Alliance Healthcare Foundation.

“Approximately 12% of south Orange County elderly, over 75 years old, have incomes below the poverty level, and half suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia,” said Ruth Riedel, executive director of the foundation. “As this population continues to grow, the need for services also increases.”

Although a majority of clients are in their 70s and 80s, the center is open to anyone over 18. No matter what age, the mission of the center is to “promote independence and well-being, while providing affordable, quality care,” Quintana said.