Charlie’s Place II opens in Ascension Parish – Donaldsonville Chief

Brandie Richardson

Alzheimers Services of the Capital Area has opened a second location for their adult day center right in the heart of Ascension Parish, offering numerous services for adults suffering from Alzheimers and Dementia.

The non-profit organization held a ribbon cutting for Charlies Place II last week, which marked the official opening of the location on Purpera Road in The Arc of East Ascensions building in Gonzales.

Ascension Parish has been extremely assertive in asking for a Charlies Place, said Alzheimers Services of the Capital Area Executive Director Barbara Auten. Ascension Parish is probably the second most populous in attending our programs, they really use the services and there tends to be an awful lot of Alzheimers down there.

The new Respite and Activity Center provides caregivers a much needed six hour break and offers numerous activities in a home-like setting such as gardening, interactive games, exercise, arts and crafts and music.

We provide a purposeful day for the Alzheimers affected individual," she added. "We engage them in purposeful activity during the day that uses both cognition and socialization that helps them remain active in their disease. From the time they get there until they time they get picked up they will have social time where they are engaged in something."

Funding for Charlie's Place II was made possible through a $100,000 donation from the Lamar Family Foundation and the Lamar-Dixon Foundation, which covered start up costs and the first year expenses. Both foundations challenged Alzheimers Services of the Capital Area to meet their donation, which was completed in 10 months through various foundations.

Currently the facility is only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays and can accommodate up to 15 people a day. As enrollment increased more days will be added.

For more information about Charlie's Place, visit alzbr.org or call (225) 334-7494.

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Charlie's Place II opens in Ascension Parish - Donaldsonville Chief