Crestview Manor to celebrate four decades of serving seniors
CRESTVIEW — The dedication of the Ruth Lovejoy Day Center by Elder Services of Okaloosa County will highlight Crestview Manor’s 40th anniversary celebration set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Crestview Manor assisted living facility at 603 N. Pearl St. was established in 1982 under the leadership of Lovejoy, who directed the nonprofit Elder Services for more than 41 years. Lovejoy, who also spearheaded the establishment of Elder Services’ Twin Cities Pavilion assisted living facility in Niceville in 1981, died at age 93 in May 2019.
The new day center named in her honor at Crestview Manor will serve as a respite center for people taking care of their elderly and frail loved ones at home.
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The center will allow caretakers “to get out and run errands or just give them time to read a book, relax and recuperate,” said Elder Services Executive Director Kim Fraley, who is Lovejoy’s daughter. “They can go take a break for four or more hours and we’ll take care of their loved one’s needs for that period of time.”
The day center fee is $10 per hour or $60 for an eight-hour day.
Fraley served as Elder Service’s assistant director and in other positions with the agency for more than 39 years before being named its director shortly after her mother died.
The new day center “will celebrate Ruth’s legacy and her advocacy for the elders of the community,” Fraley said.
Like the Twin Cities Pavilion, Crestview Manor serves low- to modest-income and vulnerable senior citizens. The Manor, which is licensed to care for 65 residents, currently has 40.
Employees at both centers provide meals, personal-care assistance, laundry and homemaking services and recreational activities. Both accept Medicaid.
“We’re charging $2,600 a month versus for-profits that charge $5,000 to $6,000 per month,” Fraley said. “The only reason we can afford this is because the county has given us the buildings — ee have no mortgage at either assisted-living facility. The county charges us $1 a year for each facility, so we can take in the most vulnerable who are on fixed incomes and don’t qualify for for-profit care.”
In addition to the dedication of the Ruth Lovejoy Day Center, Crestview Manor’s 40th anniversary celebration will feature appearances by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz and Okaloosa County officials as well as food, music and face painting for children.
“We’re going to have a very good time,” Fraley said. “We want the public to come and see what we do and the folks that we serve and to learn more about us.”
Besides running its two assisted-living facilities, Elder Services manages programs such as Community Care for the Elderly, the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative, Home Care for the Elderly and Meals on Wheels.
For more information, visit elder-services.org.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Crestivew Manor to celebrate 40th anniversary
