New centers expand activities for seniors

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer

HAWAI'I KAI — The elderly will soon have two choices for adult daycare in East Honolulu.

Trustees of the King William Charles Lunalilo Trust Estate officially opened an adult daycare operation last week at the Lunalilo Home in Hawai'i Kai, and the Kilohana United Methodist Church broke ground for a 2,000-square-foot adult daycare center that will accommodate 40 people, said Alan Mark, senior pastor.

The Lunalilo Home already has about 15 people who are dropped off by family members and spend the day doing crafts, exercise, games and sometimes field trips. Daycare eligibility is not restricted to those of Hawaiian ancestry, as it is for residents of the home, said John Alamodin, executive director of the home for elderly Hawaiians. The home has 37 residents.

Charlotte Kimi, 80, a Hawai'i Kai resident, said she liked coming to the Lunalilo Home center. It gave her something to do. She had just finished lunch and was looking forward to afternoon crafts.

"I think it's a wonderful thing," Kimi said. "It's very good for people like us — older people. We can mingle. It's not lonesome."

The daycare is available five days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. It is part of the home's transformation to better serve the elderly that started with a $4.5 million renovation. Adult daycare is the latest of three new programs, following Meals on Wheels and respite care for the elderly.

Starting March 1, the King Lunalilo Adult Day Care Center will be open seven days a week, Alamodin said.

At Kilohana in Niu Valley, construction is to begin soon for a daycare facility. It will be called the Kilohana Senior Enrichment Center.

"After a lot of soul-searching, we realized about six years ago that we needed to expand our services," Mark said. "We minister to preschool and adult in our effort to keep the family intact.

"With people living longer, and the financial burden of providing care, people are being forced to live in extended families. But there are no services available to help the family."

For East Honolulu residents, the closest facilities are in the Diamond Head area, or Kaimuki and Palolo, Alamodin said. Census figures show that more than 13 percent of the residents of Hawai'i Kai are 65 or older. From Kalani Iki to Kuli'ou'ou, the figure is 21 percent; in Kahala, it's 24 percent.

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.