Oaklawn Center on Aging grows into new space
The Oaklawn Center on Aging has experienced a year of growth, first by establishing itself as an independent nonprofit and now relocating to, and taking ownership of, a larger building on Carpenter Dam Road.
Having been established for over 11 years — originally in partnership with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences — the center recently purchased a larger facility at 307 Carpenter Dam, Suite F, to allow more programs for seniors and more students for its Certified Nurse Assistant program.
“Our mission is to enhance the quality of life for older adults, and we provide educational programs for older adults, the community, their caregivers,” Kathy Packard, the center’s executive director, said.
“We actually do education for students going into a health care profession, and occasionally provide continuing education programs for the health care professional with an emphasis on geriatrics,” she said.
“Along with our educational programs, we also have a Certified Nurse Aide training program, and the facility we were in, that we were leasing, our program has gotten so popular with the CNA, or Nurse Aide training program, that we out
grew our classroom, so we needed to get more space to accommodate our students.
“Also, because of the nature of our exercise programs for our older adults, we needed a larger space inside to accommodate their needs … safely, especially during COVID right now.”
According to a news release, class topics at the facility will range from exercise for older adults, diabetes, chronic pain, balance, Medicare, healthy eating, Alzheimer’s disease, nutrition and caregiving.
“In the past,” Packard said, “we were totally dependent upon our partners for space to provide the programs because we actually didn’t have any physical space to have those program; so now we do.”
The center is fully funded by the Oaklawn Foundation.
“We saved our money, and we were good stewards of the money, and when we made the decision to purchase this, we had the money in the bank,” she said. “We had been leasing for a long time, so now we can take the money that the Oaklawn Foundation gives us, and put it into a building that’s actually owned by the program, rather than giving it to a landlord.”
After over 10 years of partnering with UAMS, Packard said OCOA reached self-sustainability, and were able to become a 501(c) (3) nonprofit about a year ago.
“The community, Hot Springs and Hot Springs Village, have just welcomed us with open arms,” she said. “We offer a way for people to age well and age in place. … Our target audience changes with each program that we offer, but it’s all in relation to how we age well and stay healthy.”
The Cella family created the Oaklawn Foundation in 2006, gifting the nonprofit organization with $1 million, at the time the single-largest gift ever made to a Hot Springs charity. The foundation was created after Hot Springs voters narrowly approved a measure to allow expanded electronic games of skill at the track in November 2005. The Oaklawn Foundation is also sustained by a percentage of moneys generated from the gaming expansion.
“The Oaklawn Foundation receives continuing funding of between $750,000 and $1 million each year as a result of an agreement that Oaklawn voluntarily made with the city. The Foundation uses the money generated from the Gaming Center to fund programs and scholarships to benefit Garland County students and senior citizens … ,” according to the website for Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort.