Home Instead Center for Successful Aging Celebrates Grand Opening

Home Instead Center for Successful Aging celebrates grand opening in July.

Monday, July 26 marked a shining moment for the Home Instead Senior Care network as 250 people gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Home Instead Center for Successful Aging in Omaha.

Local, state and national figures lauded the principal donors, Paul and Lori Hogan, as well as the other benefactors and the University of Nebraska Medical Center for partnering to help seniors age better and live healthier lives. The center is the only geriatric center in the state that offers comprehensive care for older adults. Services include a geriatric medicine clinic, geriatric psychiatry clinic and clinical trials involving geriatric-specific disorders.

The center has more than local and regional distinction, however, said Sharon Brangman, president of the American Geriatrics Society, which represents more than 7,000 home-care professionals who care for older adults. Few centers in the country take such a comprehensive approach to geriatric care, said Dr. Brangman, chief of geriatric medicine at State University of New York Upstate Medical University.

“I really see this as a complete example of how we can provide care to older adults,” Dr. Brangman said. “It’s a model that could be disseminated to other parts of the country.”

Paul told the crowd that the center is part of Home Instead’s vision and the vision of UNMC’s Dr. Jane Potter to create better care for seniors and a more optimistic view of aging. “We simply want to be part of the solution to better aging.”

Dr. Potter, professor and chief of the section of geriatrics and gerontology at UNMC, thanked the Hogans and others for their contributions.

“Home Instead Senior Care knows the importance of not only paying attention to the physical needs of their clients but also their social, spiritual, intellectual and emotional health,” Dr. Potter said. “The Home Instead Center for Successful Aging hopes to work in partnership with Home Instead Senior Care and its network of 50,000 CAREGivers to learn how best to assist people to age successfully in their homes.”

Lori shared with the crowd how the network’s excitement extends to our international franchise partners and CAREGivers, who have expressed enthusiasm about being a part of studies that can help seniors age better. After she and Paul presented Dr. Potter with a bouquet of flowers, the audience stood and applauded.

The three-story, $10.2 million building was open to invited guests for self-guided tours, and a public open house is set for Saturday, July 31st. The center opens for business Sept. 13th.