Proposed Budget Cuts Put Deerfield Alzheimer's Center At Risk

FT. LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – A day care center for seniors in Deerfield Beach is at risk of closing due to state budget cuts.

The N.E. Focal Point Alzheimer's Day Care Center is a vital resource for families who need assistance with adult care.

After a lifetime of caring for everyone else Cynthia Langbauer, 94, is in the caring hands of her son Ken. He said her memory isn't as sharp as it once was and he's relieved that they have a safe place for her to spend her days.

"When she is not in my care I know she is being taken care of," said Ken Langbauer. "She's socializing and doesn't have to listen to me all day."

"I don't mind getting older if I'm in the company of people enjoying the same thing as I am and being happy," said Cynthia Langbauer.

That happiness comes at a price which is apparently too steep for lawmakers. The state's Senate is preparing to $200,000 from the day care center's funding. The program has taken a hit before but losing half the money it needs to operate could put it in jeopardy.

"That would not only destroy the lifeline for people who need help the most," said director Frieda Caldes, " but more importantly their caregivers, they would not be able to got work and pay their bills. They need time for themselves."

Caldes and other day care workers have urged families to contact their state senators to fight to restore their funding. State Senator Maria Sachs met with the Health and Human Services Committee Chair to discuss the restoration of the funding.

"I'm so glad my son is at my right hand," said Cynthia Langbauer.

Ken Langbauger said he can't imagine what he would do if the day care shuts down.

"I would be doing what I did with her before I discovered NE Focal Point," said Langbauer, "which was pulling my hair out."

An unspoken promise to care for the woman who cared for him all his life.