Longmont Times Call

Longmont adult care service A Day Place celebrating 1-year mark


By : SAM LOUNSBERRY |  slounsberry@prairiemountainmedia.com | Longmont Times-Call
April 27, 2018 at 6:31 pm
If you go

What: One-year mark party for A Day Place

When: 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 803 Third Ave., Room 1, Longmont

Cost: Free

More info: A Day Place members will hold a private celebration at 10 a.m.
In a spelling bee between seniors Thursday at adult day care center A Day Place, John Reznichek recited the correct order of letters for the biggest word of the contest: “chrysanthemum.”

That moment may never have come for Reznichek without A Day Place founder Renita Henson’s seamless coordination of an option for clients of the Homestead program after it was shut down by Longmont United Hospital last year.

“Honestly, I think we have been so lucky that things started smooth, they’ve gone smooth, they continued smooth; we lose a member, we gain a member,” Henson said.


Although only three current members of A Day Place were formerly Homestead clients, the new service has grown from the base that came from the now-closed program. And its staff members are ready to celebrate their one-year mark of providing adult day care inside First Evangelical Lutheran Church.

From 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the public is invited for snacks and refreshments at A Day Place in the lower level of the church at 803 Third Ave., Longmont, following an in-house celebration in the morning between staff and clients.

When it opened last year, A Day Place had 14 clients, but it has now increased to 20, said supervisor Susan Kuhn, and there is plenty more room to fill.

“The need is here in our community for A Day Place, for people to be able to come during the day and go home to their own homes at night,” Kuhn said. “We give them a wonderful day, we give their caregivers a respite, and we give them time to be out and get socialization.”

Henson, who also still works as a nurse at Longmont United Hospital, calls her efforts with A Day Place an “extension of the chosen career that I have loved.”

Client referrals to help the service grow from its roots as a continuation for Homestead members have come from in-home health care businesses as well as physician’s offices, a statement from Henson said.

First Evangelical Lutheran is still credited for ensuring a timely opening of A Day Place by Kuhn and Henson for coming to an agreement on the use of its space. And the environment of the building and opportunities it offers to interact with children have added components senior clients enjoy.

“The church fulfills their mission to the community by allowing the program to serve the people that need this special care. The sharing of the space has allowed our members to take advantage of other programs that also use the church. They enjoy the beautiful quilts, the vacation bible school children and the community programs that share stories and music,” Henson’s statement said.

She also hopes to launch a website this year on which prospective clients and their families will be able to learn about the program, and also allow potential volunteers to apply to work online.

People interested in joining A Day Place — or those with family members who may be fit for its programs — can call 303-435-9948 or email ADayPlace2017@gmail.com for more information.