Rogers Adult Day Care Grows with Area Need

The Friends House Adult Day Care in Rogers plans to expand its services to include up to 10 more seniors. An affiliate of St. Mary’s Hospital, the Friends House will become licensed to serve 30 people within the next two months.

Manager Myrtia Ruskauff said the center has added another restroom and only needs proper seating to increase its capacity. The Friends House charges $2.50-$4.00 per hour to care for local elders.

Working families use the organization to help care for relatives during regular business hours. About 10 people stay at the Friends House every weekday, and another 25 rotate into the center on different days.

Friends House depends on donations from other organizations to subsidize the service.

“We may get close to breaking even for the first time in 11 years,” Ruskauff said.

Chapters of The United Way of Rogers, Lowell and Benton County combined to contribute $25,000 this year, and donations have also come from St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation. Friends House primarily depends on St. Mary’s for housing, maintenance and food service.

Ruskauff also serves as president of the Arkansas Adult Daycare Association, and she said Friends House survives as well as it does because of the local support. In Arkansas, 35-40 adult day care centers exist, she said, but some have opened and closed quickly because they didn’t have a support artery such as a hospital.