AGE of Central Texas Breaks Ground on New State-of-the-Art Facility in South Austin
AGE of Central Texas broke ground on a new community center in South Austin on Tuesday, June 7th
Staff Reports
Regional nonprofit organization AGE of Central Texas broke ground on a facility in South Austin on Tuesday, June 7th. Located at 9400 Alice Mae and slated to be completed in the summer of 2023, the new center will provide programming and support for older adults and family caregivers, including a state-of-the-art, non-residential adult day health center for older adults living with memory loss or dementia.
“AGE is so excited to bring this project to life,” said AGE’s Chief Development Officer Jayden Beatty. “Donors from all walks of life in our community have come together to bring this needed resource to South Austin. Thanks to them, thousands of older adults and family caregivers will get the help they need.”
The mission of AGE of Central Texas is to help older adults and family caregivers navigate the realities and opportunities of aging and caregiving. Founded in 1986, AGE has become a thought leader in the aging space, offering the most affordable care for older adults and those who care for them.
The new 20,000 square foot center, funded through philanthropic contributions, will house all six of AGE’s comprehensive community programs, including a new Thrive Social & Wellness Center, AGE’s state licensed adult day health center. The new Thrive Center has been designed to provide specialized and personalized care for older adults living with memory loss or cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, and will be licensed to serve up to 75 individuals daily.
The St. David’s Foundation is the lead investor of the Thrive Campaign project and has been joined by major contributors that include H-E-B, the Anderson Charitable Foundation, and the Moody Foundation.
“Not only do adult day health centers provide an enriching experience including social connection and mental engagement for the older adult community, but they also provide families the opportunity to take a moment to recover and recharge – as well as the ability to work during the day,” said St. David’s Foundation President and CEO, Dr. Ed Burger.
AGE launched their comprehensive major gifts campaign, Thrive: A Campaign to Add Life to Every Year, in 2017 to fund a multi-stage expansion plan designed to grow AGE’s programs to better serve the Central Texas aging community. Central Texas is home to the second fastest growing 65+ population and the fastest 55-64 year old population in the country.
“No one is talking about how we are going to accommodate this population that is growing so rapidly and whose needs are growing along with them,” Thrive Campaign Chair Lina Supnet-Zapata said. “Older adults should mean as much to us as the incoming youth do to this city. We can’t leave them behind”
The first stage in the Thrive Campaign is to expand into South Austin, an area local city leaders identified as a “services desert” where older adults and family caregivers lack access to needed care. As a whole, AGE seeks to use the Thrive Campaign to spark conversation to change the way Central Texans think and talk about aging and shine a light on the growing need within the local aging population.
“We want to serve older adults and family caregivers so thoroughly – and in such a personal way – that their focus can broaden from survival to renewal,” AGE’s Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Anderson said. “Our new facility is expected to double the number of people AGE is able to serve each year and will offer immediate relief for older adults and family caregivers throughout South Austin and the surrounding areas.”
The ground breaking also launches public giving campaign to complete the funding for the new South Center. For more information on making a donation, visit http://www.AgeThriveCampaign.org, or contact AGE’s Chief Development Officer, Jayden Beatty, at JBeatty@AGEofCentralTX.org.
