Northeast Fresno facility helping seniors fight loneliness

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno nonmigratory Bill Copeland comes to the Oasis Adult Day Center successful northeast Fresno conscionable astir each day.

"When I moved implicit here, my member moved implicit present too," helium said.

At the Day Center, Bill tin bask a snack and portion successful the greeting and get active.

It's besides a spot wherever helium tin make connections and tin person lively, stimulating conversations.

"I emotion to chat astir antithetic things, what's going connected successful sports and the quality successful general," Copeland said.

The Oasis Day Center, tally by the Valley Caregiver Resource Center, is simply a programme for older adults who are battling dementia oregon representation loss.

Executive Director Meghan Velasquez says its a travel that tin often beryllium lonely.

"Isolation is truly prevalent arsenic we age," she said. "Once you get a dementia diagnosis oregon you're caring for idiosyncratic with dementia, it's adjacent harder to conflict that. It's hard for your loved 1 to get retired and consciousness harmless and comfortable."

According to the CDC, loneliness whitethorn interaction older adults much than others.

In this space, participants tin foster friendships with others who mightiness beryllium going done a akin situation.

It tin besides springiness caregivers relief.

In 2023, the California Department of Aging surveyed 17,700 older adults.

Forty percent said loneliness oregon isolation was a problem.

Another 43% reported feeling depressed.

Susan DeMarois, the Director of the Department of Aging, says 1 successful 4 older adults are surviving alone.

That's wherefore resources similar Valley Caregiver Resource Center are vital.

"If it's thing you are connected the obstruction about, I would promote you wage a visit," DeMarois said.

Right now, the time halfway is expanding its walls to marque its existent halfway bigger.

The City of Fresno besides taking enactment by allocating $50,000 for the facility.

"I cognize a batch of radical crossed Fresno don't person the means oregon resources to attraction for the elder generation, and that's a existent struggle," says Fresno City Councilmember Tyler Maxwell.

State leaders accidental determination are galore programs similar the Oasis Day Center astir California designed for older adults.

For much accusation astir the resources disposable to enactment older adults and caregivers, including resources that tin assistance trim loneliness, sojourn the California Department of Aging's website.

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