R.I.S.E.

R.I.S.E. One of the first adult day care center in Iowa. R.I.S.E., standing for the "Riley Interim Service for the Elderly," was begun in Dubuque in 1977 through the efforts of Carl RILEY. He had read about Iowa's first center in Waterloo years earlier and had been an advocate for such a program. Eventually Project Concern's board chose to develop the program. Referrals from social workers, doctors and other led to the Center limiting its enrollment to thirty people.

The Center was designed for moderately physically or mentally handicapped adults. It was planned to fill the gap between total independence and nursing home care avoiding unnecessary institutionalization. The program was a means of bringing lonely or depressed people back into meaningful contact with others while offering caregivers and family members some relief from worry or attending their elderly family members. Clients paid a sliding fee or the entire fourteen dollars a day if possible. The states Eldercare, county revenue sharing and private donations helped support the Center's $60,000 budget.