Happy Hearts Social Adult Day Care had a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday to celebrate the opening of its new facility on Jericho Turnpike in Mineola.
“We are so happy,” said owner Peggy Chan, a certified nursing assistant. “I have been waiting for this day for so long.”
Happy Hearts is a social adult day care that provides a program for adults who require assistance with personal care. Activities include arts and crafts, yoga, and tai chi.
The facility also provides personal care such as hair and nail services. Happy Hearts accepts Medicaid.
The center has its own doctor, Dr. Caho Lu, who will give a free seminar there on May 8 at 10 a.m. Happy Hearts also employs a certified Alzheimer’s caregiver and dementia specialist and provides help to those with first-stage dementia.
The event was organized by Happy Hearts with help from the local community. The ribbon-cutting ceremony included performances from local residents.
“I contacted a lot of people in the local area to ask them to join the event,” said Chan. “The girls who were dancing on stage, the performances, they were all locals.”
Chan said that Happy Hearts is designed to be a place where seniors who need help or can’t stay home alone all day can come and interact with other seniors. The services are meant to facilitate socialization while maintaining or improving seniors’ level of functioning in a safe environment.
“The reason I do this center is because of my father,” said Chan. “When I was 16, he had depression. We were so young that we didn’t know he had a problem until one day he was no longer with us.”
Happy Hearts has been in the making for the past two years. Chan previously worked as a senior accountant while developing the center and has since dedicated herself full-time to Happy Hearts.
“I’m 100% dedicated to this center,” said Chan. “It’s time to make sure that your loved ones are in care. They don’t tell you what’s going on in their mind, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t have feelings.”
