Adult daycare center to open in central Tucson

March 19--A former preschool in central Tucson is getting a grown-up makeover -- really grown-up.

The 5,900-square-foot facility, where the sound of pitter-patter once could be heard, soon will echo with the recalls of "remember whens."

The Regency Senior Club, an adult day health-care center, is under construction at Campbell Plaza, near Campbell Avenue and Glenn Street.

The center will enter the market with a niche that is dramatically underserved, given the demographics of Pima County, experts say.

Until Regency opens, only three facilities in Tucson offer care for seniors by the hour or by the day.

"It can really make a difference in helping the care recipient stay in the home longer," said Sandy Davenport, a caregiver specialist with the Pima Council on Aging. "A day health-care facility is intended for seniors who are not able to go to a senior center for shared meals, for example."

These centers also offer caregivers the chance to go out to lunch, run an errand or just take a break.

"It's a wonderful kind of program," Davenport said. "It stimulates the brain, reduces isolation and prompts social interaction, because a lot of times people are sitting at home in front of the television."

"THE PERSONAL SIDE"

That was exactly the motive for starting the senior club, owner Elaine Wozniak said.

A geriatric nurse practitioner, Wozniak got the idea when she visited her father at such a facility in New Jersey.

"I see this not only from the business side but from the personal side," she said.

Although the center won't be completed until summer, Wozniak is already getting a lot of queries about the service, especially from assisted-living homes. Often the adult kids aren't ready to put mom or dad in a home and just seek a break a few hours a day or a few days a week, which assisted-living homes don't offer.

Among the services offered at the Regency club will be meals catered by the Viscount Suite Hotel -- served on dinner plates and with cloth napkins.

"They won't be eating out of Styrofoam," Wozniak said.

The center will have a one-sink salon, shower and hygiene services, vaccines, mobile podiatry and ear wax removal clinics. It will accept clients ages 60 and up with dementia or other health issues, and also will host a monthly caretaker-support group.

At capacity, which is 101 customers, Wozniak plans to hire 29 employees and knows exactly who she wants on her team.

"I've seen and worked with the people I want, who don't see this as a job but a labor of love." she said. "My God-given gift is my love of the elderly."

TEAM EFFORT

Fulfilling the dream of opening the Regency club entailed a tough, two-year journey for Wozniak.

Lenders "closed the door on me," she said.

Then she was referred to a commercial broker whose father had Alzheimer's disease.

"I fell in love with what her goal was for our community," said Lori Casey, with Oxford Realty. "This one really struck a chord because I know the need, and seeing Elaine interact with older patients ... she just has a natural gift. You can't just train someone to do that."

Casey connected Wozniak with Mike Hannley, president of the Bank of Tucson.

They met for more than two hours. Wozniak showed him her business plan and the services she wanted to provide at the club.

"He totally believed in this, he was so enthused," Wozniak said. "Now, he's my mentor."

Hannley advised against hiring a chef and retrofitting the kitchen. Instead, he connected her with Viscount Suites to arrange catering.

He also connected her with Caldwell Construction, which is overseeing the remodeling of the former preschool.

"I'm so proud of her and what we're doing," said Hannley, who considers himself a team member. "I'm thrilled to be part of it from the financing side and also because of what we can do for Tucson's elderly population."

Originally, Wozniak was looking at a site in Oro Valley, but Hanley advised against it.

"I sat down with her and explained the illogic of going way out there," Hannley said. "This is something for working people who are likely coming into town. Being way out there would take her off the grid."

The scarcity of day health-care centers for seniors was surprising to Hannley.

"I think we can easily put up four or five more in the Tucson area," he said. "If you look at the proliferation of hospices and assisted-living facilities, it's a closet industry."

IT'S A CLUB

The Regency center is being set up as a members' club. The three levels of membership each include perks, such as ear-wax removal or free haircuts.

The gold membership, for people who attend five days a week, is $250 a year.

The silver membership, for attendance three or four days a week, is $500 a year.

The bronze membership, for attendance one or two days a week, is $750 a year

The daily stay must be at least 4 1/2 hours and the hourly rate with membership is $13.50.

A separate, non-member hourly rate is being calculated. Members will get first priority.

Arizona Long Term Care, the Veteran's Administration and private long-term-care insurance pays for daycare services. Medicare does not.

The Regency Club will be open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

"The hours will evolve as clients tell us they need an earlier drop-off or later pickup," Wozniak said. Transportation services will be added as the club membership grows, she said.

Her goal is to have 40 members preregistered by the time it opens this summer.

Visit regencyseniorclub.com for more details or call 408-4442.

Contact reporter Gabriela Rico at grico@tucson.com

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