Fountain of Youth's closing hits community hard
We're hoping the recently closed Fountain of Youth Adult Day Center in Fort Smith finds new life soon.
The facility, established in 1989, provided caregiving services for at least 40 families in the area. According to its website, the day center worked to provide dependent adults, many of whom are seniors, with social and some health services as a viable alternative to institutional or long-term care. The first goal is to improve the person's ability to remain independent for as long as possible; the second is to provide family caregivers with a time of respite from the sometimes overwhelming responsibility of full-time caregiving, the website states.
In other words, it was a place where those who are dependent on others could participate in activities and entertainment, visit a salon, take a walk, listen to special guests and eat a nutritious meal. On the flip side, that person's caregiver could get some much-needed time to rest or do other things that are difficult to do while caring for someone in need.
Now, those families find themselves in a pinch to secure the same type of services they were getting at Fountain of Youth. That idea is heartbreaking.
"We didn't want to close it," Executive Director Jennifer Adams said recently. "We have an extremely emotional attachment to it. It's a home away from home."
Debts of about $80,000 because of grant and billings issues forced the nonprofit to close, Adams said. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Fountain of Youth has received funding from a variety of sources; its website notes it also depended on the communities served to help continue in their mission.
Board member Marilyn Alley noted there is not another adult day center like Fountain of Youth in Fort Smith and clients may have a hard time finding a replacement. Alley said the service had been in the 4,000-square-foot building for five years, but only used about half of it. Contents of the building at 2801 McKinley Ave. were auctioned off recently.
Former state Sen. Frank Glidewell of Fort Smith called the facility "as necessary as drug court and rehab." Testimonials on the day center's website spell out just how important the facility has been for area residents. The center is called "a safe and fun place" that provides "great meals, music and activities."
"My dear husband, of 53 years, is now suffering from Alzheimer's disease and needs constant supervision," one testimonaly states. "At first I thought that my only option was to place him in a nursing home, and neither of us wanted to make that very permanent decision. Now that he is enrolled at the Fountain of Youth, he seems so much more content. He is happy to have somewhere to go during the week and others to visit with. This has also helped me tremendously by "lightening my load" as a full-time caregiver and allowed me some extra time for family, friends, errands and the occasional nap! Thank you so much; you have been a godsend to me and our family."
It will take an enormous effort to get Fountain of Youth reopened, but we believe it would be worth it. Services as unique as what Fountain of Youth provided aren't easily replaced, but perhaps there's an opportunity now for another organization to take on the challenge. We hope this is merely a pause and not a permanent end to the services Fountain of Youth has provided Fort Smith-area residents for 30 years.