About Us

Dear Neighbors, Friends, and Family,

I am grateful for the opportunity to share more about Stanly Adult Care Center, Inc., and the impact we will have in Stanly County. It is encouraging to see the community’s interest and support of our organization and mission.

The goal of adult day health care is to age in place at home using the resources we have available in our community.

Johnsie Barringer started the adult day health care initiative in Stanly County several years ago. Johnsie’s husband Wayne had Alzheimer’s disease. Keeping Wayne at home with her was the only acceptable option to Johnsie. With no other resources available in Stanly County to help her keep him at home, she was forced to go out of the county to find the care he needed during the day so he could remain home with her at night. The round-trip drive for her was over 100 miles each day, and some days she made that trip two times the same day. She started out making that drive twice a week, then three times a week, then five days a week. Those services increased the quality of life for her and her husband, but they also faced hardships because the services they needed were not available here at home. Johnsie’s dream was to have adult day health care services in Stanly County so others would not face the hardships she faced. Even after Wayne died, she worked tirelessly to bring these services to Stanly County. Unfortunately, Johnsie did not live to see her dream become a reality before she passed away.

Did you know that the 2021 Stanly County Community Health Assessment shows the second highest access need in our county is adult day care? When you break that down to those ages 65 and older, access to adult daycare is the highest need county wide. Did you also know that the community resources we have available for our seniors, such as the Stanly County Senior Center, Care Café, and OASIS (Older Adult Services in Stanly), are for seniors 60 and older? These services are a huge asset to our county and are not currently available for adults under the age of 60. Our numbers show that most of those following our progress and in need of our services are between the ages of 35 and 65. Most of them are still working and looking for a way to care for their loved one so they can continue to do so. Stanly Adult Care Center, Inc. will serve adults 18 and older and will fill the gap in care for this age group.

In November 2021, Stanly Adult Care Center, Inc. was established by community leaders from Stanly County. We were incorporated in December of 2021. In January of 2022 we began operating as a business and received our 501(c)3 nonprofit status in April 2022. We own a vacant childcare center located on the corner of Woodhurst Lane and Anderson Road in Albemarle that will be transformed into an up-to-date adult day health care facility. Two separate buildings will be converted into one building to provide adult day health services. Once complete the building will include a full commercial kitchen, therapeutic kitchen, dining room, living room, activity room, sunroom, health treatment room, exercise room, shower room, beauty shop, laundry, and outdoor sitting and walking areas. The plans have been submitted to the county and approved to begin the renovation process. Renovations are set to begin in September 2024.

With the dedication of an amazing Board of Directors and guidance from the Stanly Community College Small Business Center we are making adult day health care services a reality in Stanly County.

I have received numerous calls and messages from individuals looking for the services we will provide. Most of them are under the age of 60 and cannot find services in Stanly County. One example is a husband who needs to continue to work and is unable to leave his wife alone. His schedule is unpredictable, and it is extremely hard for him to stick to specific days of the week or a certain time of day. Another call that really stood out to me was from the wife of a veteran who is making the same journey Johnsie did years ago.  She requested to be put on a waiting list because of the hardships they face by having to go outside of the county to receive help.

Additionally, our services are going to have a huge economic impact in our community. It is more than providing jobs and volunteer opportunities. It is about keeping our friends and families working and making them more productive when they are at work and preventing early retirement or the need for an extended leave of absence to care for family. It is also about partnerships with other community entities, like using SCUSA for transportation, working with Pfieffer University’s OT and PA programs, working with Stanly Community College’s nursing and cosmetology programs, and many other opportunities to work together to benefit our participants and their families. I could go on and on talking to you about the services that we will have and the impact that we will make in this community. The need is great!

You have heard the saying it takes a village to raise a child, and it is going to take a community to bring adult day services to Stanly and surrounding counties. We need your help, and we invite you to join us on this journey to improve the quality of life of our friends, family, and neighbors. Please help us protect the family unit and keep our loved ones at home as long as possible using the valuable resources that we have available in our community.

I would be happy to answer any questions you might have or share more information with you about our organization, capital campaign opportunities and the progress of our renovation. Feel free to contact me at 704-984-0331 or sandy.carelock@stanlyadultcarecenter.org.

Warm regards,

Sandy Carelock, Executive Director     

Stanly Adult Care Center, Inc.