Founder vows to fight for adult day centre

In 1994 Margaret Hibbert proudly saw the Forget-Me-Not Adult Day Centre open.
In 2007 she has vowed to fight to keep it open.
Three weeks ago Northland District Health Board pulled the contract that paid for some clients, including dementia patients, to attend the centre. That funded service will now take place at the Merrivale rest home, owned by Guardian Health Care.
"I'm back on the campaign. I will NOT see this happen," Mrs Hibbert said of the chance Forget-Me-Not might fold. "I've not even started yet and people are ringing me. My phone's running hot."
Thirteen years ago Forget-Me-Not was built on a foundation of community spirit, goodwill, donations and tireless fundraising led by Mrs Hibbert. After a few years in temporary premises, under the umbrella of Northland Charitable Trust, Forget-Me-Not moved into its own, purpose-built facility at Tikipunga in 1999.
The centre operated as a social club and geared toward promoting independence and helping people to keep living in their own or family homes. Some clients attend once a week, some every day and among them are some who are funded by the health board for only one day but pay their own fees for other days they go.
Regular clients describe Forget-Me-Not as family: "If you break this place up, you break up a family," one man said.
Mrs Hibbert stresses: "People don't want to go to a rest home for a day out. We're appealing to the public of Whangarei again. We need to raise money to keep the place open. The contract has gone for now. We'll worry about that next year when it comes up for renewal again. This is about keeping going until then."
She is angry that although Merrivale got the current contract, the room in which a similar service is already held there is too small. Guardian Health Trust chief executive Dwayne Crombie also admitted Merrivale's systems were not yet ready for extra clients.
Northland Charitable Trust has devised a sliding scale for those wanting to stay at Forget-Me-Not but most can't afford the minimum $20 a day that the non-profit organisation must charge to cover costs.
"Be optimistic," Mrs Hibbert has told everyone. "The contracts will be up for grabs again next year. In the meantime we must help those who wish to stay with Forget-Me-Not and their friends and acquaintances who cannot afford the fees." She has appealed for clubs, businesses, agencies and the public to help subsidise those fees to allow Forget-Me-Not to buy time. "The Government needs to let disabled, elderly and frail people have input and freedom of choice to say where money for their day care should be spent," she said.
Forget-Me-Not has an ally in Whangarei MP Phil Heatley, who has expressed concerns "about the health board blindsiding those families with such short notice over the contract change".
"I'd like to know more about why the contract didn't go back to Forget-Me-Not. It appears the health board doesn't know that routine, continuity and being comfortable with where they are is very important for these old or frail people," he said.