Daycare home for elderly sought
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
As many as 60 senior citizens could be dropped off for the day while their caregivers go to work under a plan proposed by a homeowner who wants to turn a house into an adult daycare center in a tiny neighborhood sandwiched between Hawai'i Kai and Kuli'ou'ou.
The plan requires city approval and as a condition of that, the owner was required to make a presentation to the community at the Kuli'ou'ou/Kalani Iki Neighborhood Board. About six residents objected to the proposal when it was presented last week, citing concerns over traffic and noise in the two-street neighborhood of May Way, near Kalaniana'ole Highway off Kawaihae Street.
The board voted unanimously to not endorse the project until the residents' concerns are addressed.
The home would be called the Malama Kupuna Respite Center at May Way, a concept devised by the Caring for Life Foundation, a Hawai'i-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to come up with alternatives to long-term residential care. This would be the foundation's first such home, but it also hopes to build other respite centers, said Walt Tagawa, a Honolulu building architect who presented the project last week.
East Honolulu is aging, said Tagawa, citing the need for the project. Because residents are living longer and more live with extended families, there is a need for daycare for elderly people.
Several places are either considering or offering such care in East Honolulu.
The Hawai'i Kai Retirement Center offers a variety of living accommodations on Kawaihae Street — about a half-mile from the proposed daycare center. The Kilohana United Methodist Church in Niu Valley has been exploring the possibility of developing a daycare center for senior citizens. And Lunalilo Home, a senior home for Hawaiians, also has been looking at expanding its services to include respite care.
In the May Way neighborhood, the owners plan to add on to one of the existing homes on the 22,000-square-foot lot, Tagawa said. Beds would be added, along with game rooms and 10 parking stalls. The plan is to provide care for about 60 senior citizens with varying degrees of care-giving needs who would be dropped off during the day, Tagawa said.
The home would operate from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, but there are plans to expand that to accept senior citizens overnight on weekends in the future, Tagawa said.
"We want to be responsive to the community needs," Tagawa said. "We intend to provide relief. If the need is there, we'd like to accommodate overnight or weekend care. It will be very selective."
Resident Jim Pallett said the neighborhood cannot accommodate 60 additional cars. There are no sidewalks in the tiny community and no sewers and gutters. The road is not wide enough for a handi-van and a car to pass or for a Handi-Van to turn around, Pallett said.
"This is not the neighborhood to do this in," Pallett said. "You need to find another site that can provide more space."
Such daycare operations are allowed on residential zoned land as a conditional use, said Carol Costa, city spokeswoman. The city does not have any formal application on file, Costa said, but there have been discussions with the foundation.
The city will require a traffic study, which could specify roadway improvements as a condition of approval, Tagawa said. A state health certificate also would be required.
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 394-8831.
