Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

“We hope to be an extension of the family.”

Patsy’s Partners In Care has brought their specialized care to Clanton where they hope to continue spreading smiles and assistance to those who need it. Owner and director Debra Odom operated a business in Prattville directly beside a longtime business called Patsy’s Pins and Needles. Odom met the owner, Patsy Moffett, through her husband being Odom’s landlord and the two crossed paths on a regular basis.

“She would come to our store with her husband to pick up rent or different stuff, and that is when I noticed she needed some additional assistance,” Odom said. “We kind of adopted her and she adopted us, and our relationship with her just grew.”

The two grew friendly quickly, but Odom recognized the medical problems Moffett was going through. When the two met, Moffett was well into her battle with dementia. Odom suggested to Moffett’s husband that she needed a program where she could spend her days around other people and interacting with them instead of going around town all day or just sitting at home. However, there was no kind of adult day care in Prattville at the time, and options were very limited in Montgomery too.

Odom’s background is in child care, and she knew from her experiences what an adult day care center should look like, what it should provide for clients and how it should operate. With an idea and Moffett’s building, renovations began to turn Patsy’s Pins and Needles into Patsy’s Partners In Care. The building was transformed into a safe place where families could bring their loved ones who needed looking after where they could enjoy each other’s time and enjoy life.

Patsy’s Partners In Care officially opened in January 2020 in Prattville, and it quickly gained traction with 10 enrollees for the program and growing. Just two months later, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the new business to close and all of the work that was put into it was put on hold. The building and business sat idle for a year waiting to see what the fallout from the pandemic would be. Meanwhile, Odom rented out the building, but she kept all her stuff for the business because she saw the need in the area for services like Patsy’s provides.

“We thought maybe a different location because the need for it was tremendous,” Odom said. “There is a gap where we are working longer, and our parents are living longer, so there is a gap. The choices in care for a family is either home care or assisted living at a facility somewhere, and after that it would be a nursing home. If your parent is not ready for assisted living, but you are still working, then you need a place just like with your child where you can take them for the day.”

The core of adult day care is to operate very similarly to child day care. Families can bring their loved ones that they need care for to Patsy’s, and they can take the time they need away from them with the peace of mind that all of their needs are being met.

“The need is everywhere because it is just our world and what our structure has become with family, work and needing care,” Odom said. “There are not enough places and not enough finances.”

Odom relocated to Calera still with the drive to bring her business back. She looked for a building, and found the small, cozy building at 2910 7th Street N., Clanton to bring it back at. Odom reestablished Patsy’s Partners In Care in Clanton earlier this year, and the business has taken some time to take off, but that was to be expected in an area that is more rural and widespread than the Prattville area. Senior family members needing to be looked after, special needs individuals needing the same thing or just getting those individuals involved with everyday life are all things Patsy’s care can achieve. Any family looking for respite care could also benefit from Patsy’s care, giving them a short-term relief stint from their primary caregiver duties anywhere from a few hours to a day.

“The beautiful part about what we do here is that it brings purpose and friendships back into their lives,” Odom said. “Whether it is special needs or seniors they interact with each other. It is a beautiful thing to watch because they take care of each other and they build these friendships and bonds.”

Patsy’s serves people ages 18 and up, so their activities they do throughout the day is widespread and incorporates a wide range of interests. Liz Blanchard is the activities coordinator at Patsy’s, and those activities are not just arts and crafts. The activities connect to the needs of the community like making bags for homeless shelters or donating to pregnancy centers trying to make a difference.

While activities happen, Odom said a majority of the day is spent just conversing with one another. They play a game called conversation cards where they strike up conversations with questions like “What is your favorite childhood memory?” or “Did you have a pet growing up?” These topics get them reacquainted with themselves and their past.

“It gives them purpose, and friendships and conversations bring them back to normal life,” Odom said. “If they have been at a place where they have not felt needed, it reactivates that need. It gives them something to look forward to, and gives them meaning back into their life to be able to do the things they want.”

Patsy’s offers a complimentary two-hour stay where families can bring their loved ones to meet with the staff to get a feel of the place and see if Patsy’s is the right fit for them. Patsy’s provides all of the food and snacks for clients, and they fill out an ‘About Me’ form to highlight some of their favorites to make it feel like they are still at home. All of these efforts by Patsy’s are to let their clients know that their needs and wants are important to them.

“When you see the smiles, you are greeted with that hug or you walk outside and their eyes light up, it makes every bit of it worth it,” Odom said. “Our goal is that they do not want to go home, and we work really hard at that. It is a blessing to the family and blessing to the individual we get to serve. It just matters when you deal with one-on-one care and see the challenges and struggles of what life is when you are a caregiver. We get to give this gift that keeps on giving. It is a lovely thing to be a part of, and we are super excited to be in Clanton.”

Odom said Patsy’s Partners In Care is hoping to connect with groups in Clanton and Chilton County to continue to grow not only their client pool, but their volunteers as well to get new faces into the building to interact with everyone.

Patsy’s Partners In Care is open Monday-Saturday from 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and they offer half-day and daily rates of care.