Our Place, Durango’s only adult day care provider, is closing March 31 because it lacks enough daily clients to keep it financially viable.

Tanya Boyce, executive director of Our Place, said the board of directors considered a bigger effort to attract grants and to raise funds, but board members decided if the program is not attracting the daily clientele, closing was a better option.

“Mainly, we offered the caregiver a break,” Boyce said. She added it is sometimes difficult to convince a full-time caregiver to give up their responsibilities for a portion of the day.

“A lot of caregivers think: ‘I don’t really know if mom or dad would like it.’ Just getting caregivers to let go can sometimes be a challenge,” she said.

Our Place charges $65 for a six-hour day and $50 for a four-hour day, and the fee covered meals and all services provided. Our Place was organized as an outreach of the First United Methodist Church of Durango and operated under its 501(c)(3).

Since 2015, numbers have declined at Our Place, and Boyce said the adult day care now sees three to four clients a day, but it needs to average six to eight clients a day to remain financially viable.

Deaths of some clients and other clients who needed more attention than could be provided at Our Place – for example, those with the progression of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia – cut into Our Place’s client base.

The chief benefit that will be lost with Our Place’s closing, Boyce said, is the social interaction the adult day care provided to its clients.

Boyce said family members of some of Our Place’s clients have said in-home day care offers an option to replace Our Place. However, it fails to provide an outlet that would allow social settings for the clients – such as a chance to get out of the home and interact with others.

“We stress to caregivers, they have to take care of themselves. They need to take a break every now and then and do something for themselves,” Boyce said.

parmijo@durangoherald.com