Kee To Independent Growth, Inc. (KIGI) Expands into Glens Falls with The New Journeys Social Adult Day Program

The New Journeys Structured Day Program (SDP) is a division of Kee to Independent Growth Inc. (KIGI). This social program model is located at 217 Dix Avenue, Suite 5, in Glens Falls. It is a structured,
social model day program, serving seniors diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and Dementia, and those in need of supervision, monitoring, and assistance with everyday tasks.

The services provided by this program are designed to improve or maintain socialization, community
integration, skills, abilities, and interests to live fully and independently as possible. The environment is fun, caring, and supportive. Karen Le’Que – the Founder, President, and Executive Director
of Kee to Independent Growth, Inc. – says that KIGI currently provides services in Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselear, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington counties, with two more day programs looking to open in Schenectady County and Plattsburgh, with additional consideration to the Fulton/Montgomery County, and Oneida areas, as well as Ulster and Dutchess counties.

The New Journeys Structured Day Program’s newest site in the Glens Falls area is run by Kelly Hanafin, who is the Director of the Day Programs. Kelly is a graduate of Skidmore College with a BS in fine
arts. Throughout her career she has worked in education, human resources, management, and human services. Kelly’s work with day programs began with developing an arts program; this program has
given clients the opportunity for self- expression, creativity, and communication.

Kee to Independent Growth, Inc. is a non-profit that provides a wide and extensive list of services. Amongst those services is Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR), in home community counseling,
case management, and the day programs. Both the PSR and day programs are focused on life skills including budgeting, organizing, meal planning, and more. Everyday things that seniors or people with
traumatic brain injuries may have lost their ability for or need assistance doing. KIGI through day programs serves Veterans, people suffering from addiction, the elderly, and people with traumatic brain
injury.

The programs and services that SDP provides help people live more independently, stay motivated, and continue to grow as individuals… Families enter the program, where they find out about the
expansive services and the support that is available. The clients often start with one program, and utilize other programs that are available to them. There are various programs that can help support one person, and these programs are through contracts with the NYS Department of Health and NYS Office of Mental Health.

Karen Le’Que prides herself on the dedication of her organization and her staff to the community: “We help them get the things that they need. We have a rule throughout the agency, I don’t care if it’s 5:00 PM on Friday, if someone doesn’t have food, shelter, or heat, we are going to find a way to get that for them. These things are vital, and our staff is very skilled, and they care beyond measure,”
Karen said.

The love, caring and compassion of Karen Le’Que is tangible, and her personal experience has influenced her career path: “I grew up very poor. We were lucky if we had food to eat… I raised myself, and through that experience came the interest in helping others. My father and two brothers are Veterans. One brother was homeless, and he passed away homeless… We were not notified that he had passed. My middle brother, who is also a Veteran, suffered from substance abuse. Our agency had helped him for many years… My husband is an Iraq War Veteran who had PTSD from his time in the military. Everything that I do, I am passionate about because of that,” Karen said.

Karen has watched the organization and the programs fill, and then has been able to help them expand – the program’s first location was in Ballston Spa. As this program filled, another facility was opened in Malta… Within a year, both day programs were full. The need in the community was evident, and
the KIGI Board of Directors gave Karen their full support to keep expanding: “We opened our programs up to seniors in late 2021, and that’s when things really exploded… There is a need. Since the
pandemic, there has been so much concern about nursing homes, and isolation. Families want to keep their loved ones home,” Kelly said.

Both Karen and Kelly have been pleased with the response from the Glens Falls area community: “Glens Falls really rolls out the red carpet for their seniors. They do much more than other areas,” Kelly said.

Karen has watched the industry grow and change over her career, as KIGI has been providing services for 15 years: “I started doing service coordination, a form of case management, in my house in a
bedroom upstairs, and it grew slowly at first… Then the market crashed in 2008, and we were growing. Then things slowed a bit, and now things are exploding again,” Karen said.

Amongst the myriad of services that the SDP’s provide, helping people maintain their independence and life skills is at the core of their motivations. People may need help with life skills like budgeting,
coordinating transportation; and help with employment such as resume writing, interviewing skills, and social skills. They might need organization assistance, or dietary support and suggestions. This type
of support helps the elderly stay in their homes longer and maintain an improved quality of life.
Managing long term care is something that affects the individual, the entire family, and the community at large: “Typically, we offer family resources. No one can manage long-term care on their own, it doesn’t matter what their income range is… So, we help them get onto waivers, and that offers the families so much support,” Kelly said.

SDP understands that supporting the individual and their families is essential for the success of the client: “One of the biggest services that we provide is respite care for caregivers. It just gives people a
chance to have a life outside of what is going on day to day. We noticed that as a draw. The caregiver is often the spouse, and the caregiver is also aging. Respite care gives the caregiver time to take
care of themselves so that they can provide better care for their loved one,” Kelly said.

The services that Kee To Independent Growth, Inc. provides reach a variety of communities in need… These services include mental health and substance abuse, serious mental illness, addiction,
Traumatic Brain Injury and Nursing Home Transition and Diversion waivers. The interweaving of these communities creates a unique type of support: “We find that people with traumatic brain injury are not
always elderly. They give vitality to the older clients and the younger clients benefit from the wisdom and having a sense of worth. Our facility helps people rebuild their place in the world,” Karen said.

Payment sources include Medicaid Managed Care providers such as Fidelis, Nascentia, VNSNY, CDPHP and MVP… They also offer a sliding scale option for out-of-pocket payment. Further, there are a few short-term grant options available as well.

The New Journeys Structured Day Program will be hosting an open house on June 16th, 2023, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at their 217 Dix Avenue, Suite 5 location. There will be an art auction to support the clients of New Journeys.

This social program model fills a need in the community for both seniors and their families. Their hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and one Saturday a month.

For more information, please visit keetoindependentgrowth.com