POCATELLO — A new type of service to the community has opened its doors, and it aims to fill a need for both elderly clients and their caregivers.

Located at 2785 Bannock Highway, Calming Rivers is an adult daycare center that has a duel purpose in that it provides elderly visitors with activities, exercise classes and opportunities for socialization, while giving caregivers of those family members several hours to run errands and de-stress.

“Our vision in opening up was just to really be there for the individual and be a resource and a support to the caregiver because I think they’re often overlooked in the big picture,” said Denise Dustin, one of the three co-owners of Calming Rivers. “They say the caregiver will usually pass away first because of the stress and pressure that’s on them. So we’re here to help.”

The center, which recently opened at the end of August, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and includes several activities for clients, such as games, crafts, painting, exercise equipment and exercise classes.

These exercise classes are taught by co-owner Amy Wolfe, who is also a physical therapy assistant and has filled many roles in the health care field. She says that Calming Rivers is a cost-efficient alternative to other forms of home care, and is a good option for those concerned about price.

They have also partnered with the Pocatello Senior Activity Center located at 427 N 6th Ave., to provide nutritionally balanced lunches that are proportioned to the needs of elderly adults.

“The thing that’s nice is getting (meals) through the senior citizen center,” said co-owner Karla Jensen, who has run PCS Hands and Helping Hands Home Health for about 24 years before the latter closed in July. “We can get lunches specific to clients’ needs and the center will prepare a meal based on that.”

One of the main reasons Dustin, Jensen and Wolfe wanted to open up an adult day care center was their own experiences of seeing the stress that caregivers are put through while caring for elderly family members.

“I’ve been in health care for a long time, Denise is a caregiver and has been in health care, so we understand caregiver burnout; we understand needing help,” Wolfe said. “And we actually had my grandma in here a couple weeks ago and … it was fun and nice to have her. We learned a few different things of what to do differently and what she could handle and it wore her out because she’s 95, but it was a really fun day for us and she really enjoyed it. Because when you’re stuck at home, it’s just like all of us, we need to get out. We get depressed if we stay home too long and so do our older adults.”

They also want to be a resource for elderly individuals who may be in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, those who are mobile but still recovering from a medical procedure or injury and those just in need of time outside their home.

“Or if they were to have their support system be out of town for a week, even if they are independent at home, they may need to come be with us just for the family’s peace of mind that we have eyes on them for a little bit during the day,” Dustin added.

Clients can also pop into the center during any hour the center is open and leave when they’d like.

“We wanted to make it versatile so if (a caregiver) needed to go grocery shopping, (they) could call and say, ‘Hey, I need to drop someone off today,’” said Wolfe.

The only restrictions they have for clients is that they must be either 55 years or older, somewhat mobile, be non-aggressive so they can keep other clients safe and that they provide their own transportation.

Due to the business still being in its early stages, they currently have no means of transportation for clients, but Wolfe has been gauging client interest in the matter and would love to bring in a service that allows them to pick up clients at their houses.

In the meantime, she says she has several clients who use Pocatello Regional Transit’s Door-to-Door services, which offer either free or low-cost rides to ADA-qualified individuals who are unable to use the services of the fixed route busing.

As far as concerns regarding COVID-19, Wolfe says they are prepared and cautious, especially as their clients are part of a group more susceptible to the illness.

“Everybody that comes here we ask them questions, we take their temperature, we have masks, we ask our clients to wear masks,” she explained. “We also have hand sanitizer all over the place, we social distance and wipe everything down with Clorox or Lysol. We want to be very aware of it and cautious.”

For those thinking of popping in to gauge their interest, a tour is provided and the first day is free, Wolfe says.

“That way if it’s not the right place for you or if it just doesn’t work, you’re not going to be liable for that,” she said. “We want to give people the experience and let them see if it works.”

Calming Rivers services the Pocatello and Chubbuck areas and is open from 10 am to 4 pm. For those interested, call 208-648-4847 or visit 2785 Bannock Highway for a free tour.

If in-home care is needed, they do offer those services through their PCS Helping Hands business located in the same building.