Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Village House is recipient of generous donation
Village House, of Bella Vista, has been helping provide respite care with their adult day program for nearly 30 years. Village House is a 501(c)3 non-pro t program providing social, recreational, educational activities, and caregiving for participants. The program’s goal is to maintain and enhance the quality of life for both the participant and the caregiver. Village House provides assistance and supervision for adults who have some type of disability, which could be anything from a special needs, traumatic brain injury, stroke, dementia, developmental disabilities, blindness, or deafness. By providing these services, Village House is able to give a break to caregivers.
Participants at Village House are able to interact, engage, and socialize with other adults who also have some life changing illness or condition, and it enhances their quality of life. Activities at Village House include games, educational programs, music, crafts, and daily exercise programs. The program is designed to maximize the abilities of each participant and has on staff a certi ed dementia practitioner, certi ed nurse assistants (CNAs), and life enrichment professionals.
Since Village House is a non-pro t organization, it relies on the generosity and donations of groups and individuals to continue to function. Currently, the program can serve up to 30 clients per day. Village House currently has a capital campaign going on to raise the funds to pay for a remodel. Once the remodel is complete, the program will be able to accommodate up to 50 clients per day. A recent donation of $10,000 was made to Village House by an anonymous caring couple. This same couple has pledged to match up to $40,000 to be raised in the current capital campaign.
Village House’s goal is to provide an atmosphere for adults with special conditions to be able to engage in activities that improve their quality of life while also providing affordable respite care for caregivers. Clients enjoy the social engagement these activities foster and bene t greatly from them. Many view Village House as more of a senior “club,” because of the variety of activities and opportunities for social interaction available.
In 2018, Village House will offer a “Lunch ‘N’ Learn” Program. “We want to offer free services, education, and a lunch to the public, to say ‘thank you,’ as well as get more people into our building who otherwise wouldn’t be,” noted Village House Director Sara Scott. Home Instead will be providing free safety assessments and adjustments to any medical equipment you bring from home on March 6. On May 1, pharmacy services will be featured at the “Lunch ‘N’ Learn.” Encompass Home Care will provide free fall screens and teach fall prevention techniques on July 3. On Sept. 4, Blue Wave Hearing will be offering free hearing aide cleanings, and on Nov. 6, Springwoods Behavioral Health will offer free depression screenings, as well as other behavioral health services. All sessions will be at Village House, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Please call Village House to reserve a spot a week prior to the scheduled date for an accurate lunch count.
Village House will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2018, having been open since 1988. The adult day program is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is located in the lower level of Highlands Crossing Center at 1801 Forest Hills Blvd., Suite 206, in Bella Vista. For more information about the program, contact Village House at (479) 855-4449.