April 2026 | Faithfully Forward Newsletter
A Closer Look at Our Refreshed Adult Day Center
Picture a Tuesday morning at 5401 Fen Oak Drive. By nine o’clock, the Adult Day Center is alive — coats coming off, familiar faces lighting up, staff moving through the room with the ease of people who know exactly who they’re walking toward.
On April 13, Bishop Donald Hying came to bless a newly refreshed version of this space — one that has been carefully reimagined to better serve the people who walk through its doors every day.
The most significant changes are in the Memory Care area, designed for adults living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The upgrades go well beyond fresh paint. Memory life stations give participants something familiar to interact with. Lifelike pet care stations offer comfort and a sense of purpose. Plant displays and fidget activity boards bring texture and engagement to the space. A redesigned entryway features images of Madison’s own streetscapes — because for someone living with memory loss, a recognizable landmark can be an anchor. A shared multipurpose room, used for dining and art projects, also received attention: new tables and chairs, updated lighting, and fresh storage cabinetry and drying shelves.
These changes are not simply decorative. For someone living with dementia, the right environment can mean the difference between a morning of anxiety and a morning of calm. Small details carry real weight.
The Adult Day Center serves three distinct groups — adults with memory care needs, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and older adults more broadly — each in their own thoughtfully designed space. On any given weekday, about 50 people are served, participating in wellness activities, meals, and the kind of unhurried social connection that is harder and harder to find.
The refresh was made possible through the generosity of the Dollie F. Newlun legacy gift, the Oscar Rennebohm Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, and the Courtier Foundation, with architectural expertise donated by EUA and construction work led by Vogel Brothers Building Company.
“For more than 40 years, our Adult Day Center has been more than just a day center — it has been a haven of safety, health, and social connection for our participants and their families,” said Shawn Carney, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Madison. “This refresh allows us to provide the kind of dignified, person-centered care our clients deserve.”
We are grateful to Bishop Hying for blessing this space — and to everyone whose generosity helped create it.
To learn more about the Adult Day Center, visit AdultDayCenterMadison.org.
