By Brianna Pitts
InkFreeNews

Wende Roberts

WARSAW — Wende Roberts, a North Webster native, will be opening a school for those with dementia and is now accepting clients for the fall.

Mercy Harbor seeks to incorporate holistic, cutting edge therapies from the United Kingdom in order to provide seniors and their families with the best possible care. The mission of Mercy Harbor is to bring renewed hope to families going through the journey of dementia.

“Traditionally, in the United States, the way dementia has been handled is to facilitate and to medicate, this school seeks to instead, provide a space for seniors to be in their homes for as long as possible while receiving new therapies, daily,” Roberts explained.

Roberts said the school’s tentative hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday with a hot meal provided for lunch and snacks throughout. During the day, the seniors would be able to participate in Alzheimer home therapies individually, or in small or large groups depending on the client’s needs.

Mercy Harbor will also provide a community for caregivers to meet and be supported in this journey with resources and even healthy lifestyle components.

“The goal of these services are to provide caregivers with a safe space for their loved ones to go during the day where seniors are engaged, able to search out attainable goals, and learn different skills.”

Roberts has been a local to North Webster her entire life, graduating from Wawasee High School and receiving her bachelor’s from Grace College in Elementary Education. She currently attends church at Winona Lake Grace Brethren.

Roberts explained how important it is for these services to be available to both the seniors and the caregivers in need, having had firsthand experience as a caregiver herself.

Roberts first took on a caregiver role when her father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s when she was in fifth grade. This diagnosis led to her passion to help others and would later influence her decision to become a teacher. She would also later care for her mother who had Alzheimer’s before she passed away in January 2022.

“The idea for this school has been in the works since the January when my mom went home to be with the Lord, but actions were not taken until April 2022,” said Roberts.

“This school speaks to both of my passions to teach and to care for others,” Roberts said.

Mercy Harbor will be located at Baker Youth Club, 1401 Smith St., Warsaw, but the school will not be associated with the club.

“We hope to be able to partner with Grace College to provide internships for students at Mercy Harbor,” said Roberts.

Roberts looks forward to providing these services to the community, as it is the first of its kind in Kosciusko County and is currently looking for investors and staff. If interested in either, email [email protected]. New clients are being accepted by phone only at (574) 457-6875.