HELP FOR ELDERLY, THEIR CAREGIVERS BURBANK CENTER OFFERS SERVICES NEEDED BY COMMUNITY AT LARGE.

Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer

BURBANK - The telephone in David Mitchell's office keeps ringing.

Ever since news got out that the Burbank Adult Service and Resource Center opened Monday, interest among caregivers of those affected by a stroke, or Alzheimer's or Parkinson's diseases, has peaked.

``Three people called up first thing in the morning,'' said Mitchell, the center's executive director. ``We're working on getting a van so that people who can't leave their homes can come here.''

Plans have been in the works for more than a year to get the center up and running inside the First Christian Church, 221 S. Sixth St., where a similar center, run by the Assistance League of Southern California, closed a year ago.

Its closure left about 40 seniors displaced, until other communities such as Glendale, Arleta and North Hollywood offered to help.

But the center's leaders say it's time to move on and ring in a new era.

Along with a new name and interior furnishings, the center offers resources to the community at large, support groups for caregivers, and day programs that include activities geared toward helping clients relearn socialization skills.

The center includes two activity rooms - one for exercise and similar activities; the other like a living room, where clients can work on arts and crafts, play board games, watch movies or just relax with friends.

Mitchell anticipates 25 clients will use the center daily. The staff ratio is about 3 to 1.

``This is a safe environment, where people can come and stay for the day,'' Mitchell said. ``We'll have lunches catered by the McCambridge Park Nutritional Program, and every program here will be geared toward the clients' needs.''

According to Mitchell, about 1 in 10 people age 65 and older could become affected by Alzheimer's. In Burbank, that could mean more than 2,000 people, according to the U.S. Census.

``With dementia, for example, there is still a great stigma out there,'' Mitchell said. ``People either don't know what to do or else don't want to get help. That's why we are also a resource center.''

The need for a nonprofit day program for those with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases is great in Burbank, Mitchell said, especially among the low-income.

``What makes us different is that other adult centers offer service for those with Medi-Cal,'' the statewide health care insurance for low-income seniors or the disabled, Mitchell said. ``We have no set fee. We're a nonprofit organization. We charge on a sliding scale, depending on what the client can pay.''

The center's opening was made possible by the fund-raising efforts of the Burbank-based Schutrum Piteo Foundation, which worked with the city of Burbank, state Sen. Jack Scott, D-Pasadena, and Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, D-Los Angeles.

Linda Crane, the foundation's president, said she was moved to help open the center after attending an Alzheimer's caregivers support group with a friend two years ago.