Very soon you will be voting on a critical issue regarding the senior millage. Family Ties is one of the many programs that benefit from this funding. Family Ties is the best-kept secret in Dickinson County. It’s a program of the Dickinson Iron Community Services Agency, or DICSA.

I have experienced personally the amazing benefits of an adult day program. My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2009 at the Mayo Clinic. She was able to maintain her independence at home about seven years. As the disease progressed, my mother required 24-hour supervision. That is when Family Ties provided respite for the family but more importantly a safe, non-threatening, stimulating environment for my mother to spend part of her day.

Family Ties, along with home health care, assisted in allowing my mother to remain at home until she was hospitalized for pneumonia and unable to return home in 2016.

Statistics have shown that keeping dementia patients home in their own familiar environment as long as possible extends the quality of their lives.

Family Ties became a second home to my mother. It bridged the gap between staying at home and being admitted to a long-term care facility.

Tammy Tomassucci and Angie Johnson and their staff are angels. They have put into place a loving, caring and heartfelt environment for their seniors, treating all their participants with the dignity and respect that they deserve.

Words cannot express how grateful we are for their time and energy. They’ve been on the front line for 17 years and I think it’s time for their dedication to be acknowledged.