A 2009 National Alliance for Caregiving /AARP Study, “Caregiving in the U. S. 2009,” reports that more than three in ten U.S. households (31.2%) have at least one person that has served as an unpaid family caregiver within the last twelve months. The report goes on to say, “A large majority of caregivers provide care for a relative (86%) with over one-third taking care of a parent (36%).”

 

Andrew Webb assists his mother, Georgia Webb, as she sits down to wait for her morning snack.

Fulton County resident Andrew Webb’s mother and father are both users of the Harriett G. Darnell Senior Multipurpose Facility.  Webb’s mother, Georgia Webb, is a daily user of the Adult Daycare in the facility while his father, AJ Webb, enjoys the company of new friends he discovered at the facility when he and his wife moved to Atlanta to live with his son and daughter-in-law.

 The move to Atlanta from South Georgia was required because of Georgia Webb’s progressive dementia and the couple’s declining ability to take care of themselves and maintain a safe environment.  Although Andrew Webb described his father as shy in the beginning, the active environment at Darnell resulted in the elder Webb’s participation in his own “posse.”  In fact, AJ Webb is now known by friends at the center as the “Mayor of Darnell.” His nickname is “Have Mercy” because he uses the term when he has little to say.

 The Webbs are among hundreds of seniors who regularly use services provided by the facility or the “guided care” offered by adult daycare.  Andrew Webb says his father is particularly comfortable with the facility because he knows that his wife of 66 years is on the other side and that he can visit or respond immediately to her needs at any time. Says the younger Webb, “The fact that they are under one roof works well for Dad.”   Additionally, one of the elder Webb’s favorite amenities is the pool.

Andrew Webb emphasizes the value of maintaining services for seniors to help them to “Age Strong” and “Live Long.”  He is also a regular user of the Darnell Facility’s services. As a caregiver, he adds that the facility is a lifesaver when he and his wife need time to take care of other family priorities.

 The Harriett G. Darnell Senior Multipurpose Facility at 677 Fairburn Road in Atlanta is one of four facilities located in Fulton County for the use of seniors.  Each center provides a pool, exercise classes, breakfast and lunch, arts and crafts, field trips and other activities for residents who use the facility.  The other facilities include:

Dorothy C. Benson Senior Multipurpose Complex
6500 Vernon Woods Drive
Atlanta, GA
Phone:  404-705-4900

H.J.C. Bowden Senior Multipurpose Facility
2885 Church Street
East Point, GA
Phone:  404-762-4821

Helene S. Mills Senior Multipurpose Facility
515 John Wesley Dobbs Drive
Atlanta, GA
Phone:  404-523-3353

For more information about Fulton County’s Senior Multipurpose Facilities and the services they provide to seniors as well as caregivers, call the StarLine at 404-613-6000.