The Daily Living Center

Each one of us desires to have an active productive life. As we age, there may come a time when we cannot be as active and productive as we were before.

  • Our bodies no longer respond as they used to.
  • We may have difficulty walking and getting around.
  • We may have a medical condition like diabetes, pulmonary or heart disease which saps our strength.
  • Perhaps we will have a stroke which plays havoc with our bodies.
  • Our memory may start to decline and we may not have the same recall we had before.
  • Our vision may deteriorate and we won’t be able to see as we did before.
  • We may have problems with hearing and even with hearing aids we have problems hearing what is being said.

At the same time any of these occur, we may find our social network shrinking.

  • Our spouse and some of our friends may die.
  • Other friends or family members move away.

Suddenly the social network that we relied on for support is no longer there. With the health problems we have and our spouse and friends gone, we are not able to do much more than sit around home with nothing to do and no one to talk to.

Loneliness and depression start to creep in. We hate it but it seems like there’s nothing we can do about it.

Is there any help out there?

Actually, there is.

It’s. . .

. . . The Daily Living Center in North Knoxville

If you haven’t heard of it, this is a licensed adult day services center connected with the O’Connor Senior Center.

When you read that the Daily Living Center is an adult day services center, you may have had some concerns. You might be thinking. . .

. . . “Isn’t an adult day services center just an adult day care center? Sounds similar to a child care center for babies and small children but for adults. There is no way I would want that.”

If That’s What You are Thinking, You are Wrong

Have you ever gone to the O’Connor Senior Center? If you have, you know they have regularly scheduled activities for older people to do.

The Daily Living Center is much like the O’Connor Senior Center. There are various activities people can participate in every day. They can pick and choose what they want to do.

How is the Daily Living Center Different from the O’Connor Senior Center?

O’Connor is designed for people who can come and go as they want. The Daily Living Center is designed for people who can’t get around as well.

The objective of the Daily Living Center is to help those coming there maintain their independence, live fulfilling lives and continue to interact with others. Those attending the center get to take part in various activities every day. Here’s some:

  • Games
  • Arts and crafts
  • Exercise and recreation
  • Movies, and
  • Field trips

The staff at the center arrange field trips normally on a monthly basis. These may be trips to the Tennessee Theater, Oaks Farm in Clinton, the Senior Day at the Tennessee Valley Fair or special events at the O’Connor Center.

7:45 A.M. to 4:15 P.M. Daily

The Daily Living Center is open from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday through Friday. Breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack are provided daily.

Most of those who come to the center live on the North, East or South side of Knoxville. While family members drive some to the center every day, the Knoxville Knox County Community Action Committee (CAC) provides free transportation for most of the people to the center in the morning and home in the afternoon on its buses.

Benefit for Families

There is also a benefit to the families of those who go to the center.  They get a break from providing care for their loved ones and have time to do things they need to do. In addition, they avoid the expense of hiring caregivers for them.

The Daily Living Center is licensed to handle 15 people full time every day. It also can handle several more on a part time basis. It is funded by a Social Services Block Grant .and by private donations.

Staff at the Daily Living Center

5 people are on the staff at the center.  Wendy Badgley is the manager. She has one other full-time employee working with her. The other 3 are volunteers who assist on a daily basis. These volunteers come from the Senior Companion Program or the Senior Community Service Employment Program which are part of the CAC. While there are 3 volunteers daily, it is not always the same 3 people.

Church and Civic Groups Invited to Come In

While those working at the Daily Living Center do everything required on a daily basis, they are always open to church and civic groups coming in and doing   things with the people the center. Some of the things these groups can do are crafts, show movies, and have celebrations for holidays or other special days. Around Christmas, groups can come in to sing carols.

Eligibility Requirements

 Each person at the center has to:

  • be a Knox County resident 60 years of age or older,
  • be able to take care of their own self care needs,
  • be able to adapt to group settings, and
  • meet certain income guidelines.

A home assessment is done to make sure a person meets the requirements before they can start to come to the Daily Living Center.

If a person’s income is higher than the guidelines but that person meets the other guidelines, there are private pay options available.

Family members, friends, health care providers and community agencies can refer people to the Daily Living Center.

If you would like to find out more about it, here is the contact information:

The Daily Living Center

Northridge Crossing

3900 Probus Road

Knoxville, TN 37917

865-689-4312 – phone

DLC@oconnorcenter.org – email

How You Can Help

When you get a chance, check the center out. You will be impressed by the great work being done there.

If you have a group that would want to do something special for the people at the center, please call and talk to Wendy about it. Also please call Wendy if you would like to make a donation to the center.

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If you have any comments on what you have read in this post, please email them to me. Also – if you have any ideas about subjects you would like to see discussed in future posts, please send me an email and let me know. My email address is bob.ooablog@gmail.com.