DayBreak Center closing its doors

SANDPOINT — After today, the DayBreak Center will close its doors — at least for the foreseeable future.

The facility, which opened in 2008, has been run by Coeur d'Alene-based One Site For Seniors since January 2020.

Financially, One Site executive director Bill Muck said it no longer made sense for his organization to continue its involvement in the Sandpoint facility.

"We hate to close it," Muck said. "It serves a great service and a great need, but unfortunately, financially, we decided it just isn't possible for us to continue operations." 

While at-home options may be possible, the DayBreak Center is the only adult daycare facility in the community. Its closure leaves many unknowns about what services are available and what options exist for families who have utilized the center.

The DayBreak Center has been in the 1,400-square-foot facility since 2010. Immediately adjacent to the Sandpoint Senior Center, the facility was donated to the SASi and the DayBreak Center in 2010.

"I would love to see the operations continue, but we cannot be a part of it," Muck said. "Because financially, it's just not working out for us. I wish I had some better answers [on what happens next], but unfortunately, I have to look at the reality of finances."

DayBreak Center manager Marie Reynolds and assistant Barbara Mercier said they are trying to do just that — relaunch the DayBreak Center.

The pair has been exploring options for relaunching the center and is working to identify possible funding options, creation of a nonprofit to operate the center, a business license, and the myriad of other steps necessary to relaunch the adult care center.

The pair is working with supporters to outline potential steps in the hopes of having a concrete plan in place sometime in July. The hope is that they can have what they need in place and reopen the DayBreak Center this fall, potentially by September.

"We're hoping to get somebody else to help us so we can open it again sooner," Mercier said.

The pair has talked to officials with Sandpoint Area Senior, Inc., which owns the building, and were offered time to see if they can relaunch the adult care center. While no longer involved in the center, SASi's development director, Lisa Bond, said adult care facilities like the DayBreak Center are critically needed.

She hopes Renolds and Mercier can find a way to reopen the adult care center.

Muck also hopes efforts to relaunch the facility are successful, saying such adult day centers are a growing need.

"We would love to see if somebody else in that community could step up and begin operations of some type of adult day center, because it is really important. People really do get a great benefit from having respite care," Muck said. "But unfortunately, we just could not make it work for our situation. It was a tough decision to make, and it's nothing that we wanted to do by any means."

Before word of the potential closure spread, Reynolds said the center was seeing an average of 13 to 20 clients a week. But as news spread, those numbers dwindled.

"They've started finding other places to go, but there really aren't any other places to go," she said, adding that for many, that means caregivers have returned to a piecemeal effort of friends and family members — and fewer breaks.

While some can afford to have a private agency come in for occasional respite care, Reynolds and Mercier said that often isn't the case. Instead, that care falls on loved ones — usually a spouse or a child — who often have no backup and can struggle with the constant care required. There is little time off, and caregivers can find it difficult to shop for groceries or run errands because their loved one needs care.

Closure has been a possibility for the past three to six months as One Site has worked to find a way to have the Sandpoint facility make financial sense. However, Muck said it soon became clear that the organization could no longer keep the DayBreak Center open without risking the facility in Coeur d'Alene.

Mercier and Reynolds said they are heartbroken by the pending closure and will miss those who have come to the adult care center. They have, they added, become family, not only with them but with each other.

"They are all friends, and they know each other," Reynolds said. "They talk to each other and share stories. Their families are sending us pictures if they're on vacation."

"We've become a little family here," Mercier adds as the DayBreak manager pauses.

"It is family," Reynolds agreed. "We just don't want to see it end. There's nothing else like it in this part of North Idaho."

While steps are in place to keep clients safe, care has also been taken to give the adult care center a homey feel. Chairs fill the room, tables are out where puzzles can be put together, and dominoes and other games are a frequent occurrence.

"We spend time with them like they're our friends, because they are our friends," Reynolds said. "So that's how we treat them. We love [the center], and we're going to miss it and we're devastated."

Reynolds said the pair wants to keep the adult care center going and is working on ways to make it happen. They said they feel called to what they feel is an invaluable service but recognize they need to cover expenses.

"We just have a lovely time here, and we just want to keep it going if we can figure out a way to meet our expenses," Reynolds said. "We know we're not going to make a million dollars. We just want to pay our bills and give these people something special."

As important as the facility is for clients, it is even more critical for their families, giving them a respite from the worry, stress, and non-stop care that can be required.

"This is really for the families who are taking care of [their loved ones]," Mercier said. "They're the ones who are exhausted. They're the ones taking two showers a day, one for you and one for them. When you start doing that, you realize how tired you're going to be, and you are exhausted."

It isn't uncommon for clients to bring a loved one in for a visit and go home and just sleep or take a shower.

"They feel that their loved one is safe, and they can relax for a moment," Mercier said.

Reynolds and Mercier said they would love to hear from others interested in helping them relaunch the DayBreak Center.

"If we get an angel from somewhere, that would be wonderful," Reynolds added. 

Reynolds can be reached at 1-707-803-8215.