New director welcomed at the Adult Community Day Center
BY MARY LANCASTER INDEPENDENT WRITER
The Adult Community Day Center has named Katherine Eilert as its fourth director who will officially begin in her leadership role on December 17. Eilert, the business operations coordinator at Our Island Home for nearly nine years, is taking over for Karen Zegarowski who became director in April of 2000. Her last day at the center is December 14.

ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent ACDC incoming director Katherine Eilert, left, with outgoing director Karen Zegarowski.

The Adult Community Day Center, known as ACDC, was founded in 1991 by Gennifer (Grizzard) Costanzo who became its first director when the three day per week program started in the community room at Landmark House. Since February 2000 the center has been located at the Nantucket Teen Center and is run under the auspices of Our Island Home.

What began with three clients has expanded to an average of a dozen in the summer and a few less in the off-season months. Program participants, attended to by a staff of four, have breakfast and lunch at the center and enjoy activities such as visits from pets and children, music, flower arranging, group cooking projects, crafts, field trips, discussions and exercise. While the elders are benefitting from social interaction at the center, their caregivers have an opportunity for respite and to attend to their own personal and health needs.

Zegarowski, who took over as director from Ellen Kouletsis-Young, has been living and working at Captain's Corners Guest House in addition to her job at ACDC and knew about five years ago that the inn's owner planned to retire and close the business, which is happening now. In anticipation of the event, Zegarowski and her partner Melissa Mann bought a house in New Bedford they have been working on as time allowed and will move the week Eilert starts at the center full-time.

"It seemed that this would be the time to go. I'm too old for the Nantucket shuffle," said Zegarowski, adding that one of the best parts of ACDC has been to provide a place the seniors want to visit at the same time it helps their families. "It's creating a fun, safe place where people want to come and knowing at the same time that the family at home can have some time for themselves."

Eilert said her favorite times on the job at Our Island Home have been when she has had the opportunity to talk with residents and exchange meaningful time with them, so when she learned of the center director's opening it seemed like a natural fit for her.

"I am so excited to be able to continue this wonderful program Karen is passing on to me, providing a safe and fun environment for our elders," she said. "I'm excited to be able to serve the community

in this way." I