Canterbury Care Center, a nonprofit adult day care facility, opened its doors in Bremerton earlier this year. The facility, located in the basement of the former St. Luke’s Methodist Church, is open full-time Monday through Friday and allows drop-ins as well as prescheduled care.

The 4,000-square-foot space includes a wheelchair-accessible kitchen, an exercise area with equipment, a recreational and social area complete with a piano, drum set, ping-pong and pool tables, and an area for quieter activities.

The center provides nonmedical care that includes help with personal hygiene, medication reminders, and a variety of scheduled activities. The idea was to fill the gap between the availability of assisted living and day care for dementia patients but not for people who are more independent.

Cynthia Pealstrom, administrator, says the facility has been in the works for a couple of years. She knew EADS was planning to move from Bremerton to Bainbridge Island, so she presented the proposal to the Board of Directors of Episcopal Retirement Communities at Canterbury Manor. It took a year of planning and preparation, which included an extensive makeover of the space.

The center targets seniors who are 62 or older, but clients who are 55 and over are also accepted. There are no minimum qualifications for the program, except clients have to be self-preserving, cognitive enough to understand when there is an emergency like fire. Currently, staff does not administer medication although that service may be available in the future.

“It’s like a senior center but there are caretakers,” Pealstrom says. The center opened in mid-January and she says they’re encouraged by the response so far, although there is still a lot of capacity available. Currently, the center can have 12 clients present at a time, with 36 allowable under a conditional-use permit from the city of Bremerton. However, due to an addressable fire alarm requirement from the fire department, the facility is not going beyond the capacity of 12 at this point .

Canterbury Care Center has scheduled activities every day, and clients do not have to participate if they’re not interested. Activities range from weaving, scrapbooking and bingo, to chair yoga, creative writing and cooking. “We have this huge facility so nothing is impossible. We cater to their interests,” says Jena Holtz, program director. “It’s amazing to be able to do so much in one site.”

For more information about the center, go to www.cccadultday.org or call 479-3267.