Good Neighbor Podcast: Fort Collins

E13: The ElderHaus Difference

• Nick George • Season 1 • Episode 13

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Discovering the "third option" for families caring for loved ones with disabilities or dementia—this conversation with Jenny Langness reveals how ElderHaus Adult Day Program fills a critical gap in care services. Breaking the false dichotomy between exhausting round-the-clock home care and full residential facilities, ElderHaus offers weekday programming that benefits both caregivers and participants in profound ways.

Jenny shares a surprising insight that transforms how we should view adult day programs: the structured activities at ElderHaus actually slow disease progression for conditions like dementia through consistent physical activity and mental stimulation. This makes their services not just about providing respite (though that's invaluable) but actively improving health outcomes and quality of life for participants.

Perhaps most compelling is Jenny's personal connection to the work. After experiencing a severe kidney condition that left her unable to work for three years, she gained firsthand understanding of living with an "invisible disability." This experience cultivated deep empathy and taught her to better observe, understand, and communicate with those who process the world differently—skills she brings to her leadership at ElderHaus every day.

Despite serving the community for 45 years, misconceptions about ElderHaus persist. As Jenny clarifies with a laugh, "We're not just for elders, and we're not a house that anybody lives in." The program welcomes adults 18+ with various disabilities, creating a vibrant community where people find belonging, purpose, and joy. If you know someone caring for an adult with disabilities or cognitive challenges, sharing this resource could be the most meaningful thing you do today. Visit https://elderhaus.org/ to learn more or schedule a tour to see their work in action.

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Nick George.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a meaningful charitable organization to help sponsor? One might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, jenny Langness, with Elder House Adult Day Program. Jenny, how's it going?

Speaker 3:

It's going great, beautiful weather, can't complain.

Speaker 2:

We're excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us about it.

Speaker 3:

So Elder House is an adult day program, which means we are here to provide respite for families living with a loved one with a disability or dementia and an engaging place for those people to spend their day. We don't take anybody overnight. We're not here on the weekend, so it's just a Monday through Friday where your loved one can come have a wonderful day, have their meals, go out in the community, do art and music and you name it. We do it here.

Speaker 2:

How did you get into this business?

Speaker 3:

So I've always somehow worked in the non-profit field. Early on in my career I worked with the hearing impaired and then I've worked with all sorts of people in a service-oriented business. About seven, eight years ago I got involved helping seniors in residential programs and realized from that that I love this population and that just kind of this. This opportunity came up and I'm like, oh, I could have the weekends off, that's not a bad gig. But actually I already knew about Elder House, was really excited to come on board.

Speaker 2:

What are some myths or misconceptions in your industry?

Speaker 3:

So one is that there's only two options when you're dealing with somebody, especially with dementia that they're either going to live at home with round the clock care or they have to move to memory care in a full time residential facility. We are actually the alternative to both of those, where people can still live at home but get care during the week at a much less cost than bringing somebody into your home, and the services that we provide actually help the person living on the journey of dementia. It really slows down the pace of their disease because they're getting a lot of physical activity and mental stimulation, which are both things that really help slow down the disease.

Speaker 2:

Who are your main base of supporters traditionally and who is your target base of donors that you'd? Who is your target base of donors that you'd like to attract, and how are you attracting them now?

Speaker 3:

So our donors are usually somehow linked to the families that we serve, whether it's their daughter, their cousin, their brother, somebody that has been touched by our services or their care or residential care often will support us as well, because we're kind of that middle person that helps them. So we really partner a lot with other agencies where maybe their loved one comes to us three days a week, they're at home two days a week with a caregiver from a local agency. Those tend to be our supporters. Caregiver from a local agency those tend to be our supporters. Really, we would love everybody to know about us, because almost everybody you talk to knows somebody that's been touched by dementia or any other disability. You know when I'm out in the community they're like oh my brother has Down syndrome, oh my cousin has cerebral palsy, oh my mom has Parkinson's. So it touches who we serve, touches almost every person at large.

Speaker 2:

You took the words out of my mouth. I just got done interviewing somebody two interviews ago that had that diagnosis and we talked a long time about it. Outside of work. What do you do for fun?

Speaker 3:

Several things. One now that the weather's nice, I'm out on my bike. My husband and I loved in fact we did 20 miles on the river trail on Saturday. We also love kayaking and enjoying just living in Colorado. We love to just go explore up the Poudre River as one of our favorite places, and then we're really fortunate to have a seven and five-year-old grandchild children living in the area, so going to hockey games and gymnastics and school programs is our other great joy.

Speaker 2:

Let's switch gears. Can you describe a hardship or a life challenge that you overcame and how you made, and how it made you stronger? What comes to mind?

Speaker 3:

Oh, lots of things.

Speaker 3:

But really related to what we do here is I had some severe health issues regarding my kidney one of my kidneys years ago and I ended up being unable to work for about three years and was in the hospital a lot of that time.

Speaker 3:

And I think having somewhat of a hidden disability like dementia can be, like Parkinson's can be you don't always know somebody has that disability. Having that hidden disability for several years really helped me understand the challenges when our people that come here, when they're out in the community and people don't realize that that person has a disability and People will get frustrated with you or not understand why you're moving so slow or not answering the question correctly. And I think that gave me a lot of empathy and really taught me to slow down and be a better observer of people and try to read between the lines. When somebody's not responding the way I expect them to. It makes me stop kind of, take an assessment of that person and wonder what's happening and how can I serve them better. Maybe reframe my question, slow down my words, change my words. That has been really helpful.

Speaker 2:

Great point.

Speaker 3:

And I would want to go through that again, but it really gave me that ability to see beyond what's in front of me.

Speaker 2:

Jenny, please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about Elder House Adult Day Program.

Speaker 3:

So one of my favorite funny things is we're not just for elders and we're not a house that anybody lives in, and so I want people to know that we're not just for elders and we're not a house that anybody lives in, and so I want people to know that we're for anybody over the age of 18 that is looking for some, the family's looking for respite, and the person facing the disability needs a place that they can find, a place they belong, because that's really hard when you're living with a disability to find your community. So we want them to find their community.

Speaker 2:

And how can listeners learn more about Elder House Adult Day Program?

Speaker 3:

So the best is go to our website, which is just Elder House, and Elder House is spelled with H-A-U-S at the end dot org. We've been around for 45 years, so we're not new to the game, but that's our website. It's the best spot. And then always just call us and that phone number is on the website and ask to come see. We'd love to show off. We have a beautiful property that's always buzzing with activity and I always tell people you have to see it, because I could tell you all the words but until you see it in action you won't completely understand what we do.

Speaker 2:

Nice Well, Jenny, I appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

Speaker 3:

Thank you, thanks for having me.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpfortcollinscom. That's gnpfortcollinscom, or call 970-438-0825.