Dementia respite program coming to Whatcom County

A dementia respite program is returning to Bellingham and Lynden in March that will give people living with dementia a space to socialize while their caretakers receive a break.

Dementia Support Northwest (DSN), formerly known as Alzheimer Society of Washington, is a Bellingham-based nonprofit that provides support services and education. Old Friends Club started the respite program in King County and gave DSN staff the blueprint to model a program by the same name in Whatcom County, said DSN executive director Dan Gray.

Old Friends Club will be held in groups of no more than 12 people to play games, make art and have lunch. The group was created, in part, to allow people earning moderate incomes a more affordable option for caregiving.

The group does not have medical services, health monitoring or medication assistance, according to DSN. Program staff will not administer medication and will only provide minimal assistance helping feed patients.

The group will meet for five hours per day, two days per week.

Sonlight Church, 8800 Bender Road in Lynden, will host the program from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays. Christ the King Community Church, 7173 Meridian Street, will host the program from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Gray said he’d like for the program to expand to Blaine and Ferndale by early 2024, but this will be dependent on community partners providing spaces.

The program costs about $800 per month. Fees include supplies, activities, lunch and snacks. Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis, according to DSN.

Old Friends Club replaces the Adult Day Health program that closed in Lynden in 2018.

Those interested in the program can sign up at dementiasupportnw.org or by calling DSN at 360/671-3316.

As for celebrating her 99th birthday, Vanderpol had lunch at Great Blue Heron with a dozen people and balloons. A week later, she and 99-year-old Bellingham resident Aurelie Hurd celebrated their birthdays at Tony’s

Hi, I’m Ruth.

Tavern in Custer.

Vanderpol said she plans on staying in real estate as long as her body permits.

“I was going to say, ‘For the rest of my life,’” she said. “But is that too gloomy a statement?”

I grew up in Bellingham, attended public schools and graduated from Bellingham High School and then attended Western Washington University. While my profession became teaching my dream was to travel. I received a Fulbright Teacher Exchange opportunity and spent a year in an English Girls’ School in Newcastle England. I then attended Columbia University in New York City and received a master’s degree. I was offered a supervisory position with the military schools in Europe. I really enjoyed the opportunity to travel throughout Europe with that position. My desire for more education brought me back to New York where I received a doctorate degree in education and eventually taught at the City University of New York. At that time, I was invited to be an international representative (NGO) at the United Nations and participated in other organizations relating to women and children such as UNICEF. After my return to Bellingham I grew tired of cooking and housekeeping so I made a decision to move to Solstice Independent Living. After 12 years, I have made no plans to move.