More than 60 community members gathered Thursday evening at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church to celebrate the opening of the Estes Dementia Day Center, a new program designed to provide social engagement for people living with dementia while offering respite for their caregivers.
The event began with tours of the center’s newly renovated space, formerly the church nursery, followed by a reception under three large tents erected in the church parking lot. Volunteers served a summer buffet of sandwiches and refreshments, capped by a large commemorative sheet cake.
The center, which quietly began operating in May, offers structured activities, social interaction, music, art, exercise, and cognitive stimulation for adults living with dementia.
Guests touring the facility saw activity stations, art displays, music areas, and quiet spaces designed to support participants at varying stages of memory loss. Staff and volunteers explained that the center emphasizes dignity, choice, and engagement over rigid programming.
During a tour of the facility, board member and volunteer Chris Bruell explained that people living with dementia often find comfort in simple sensory experiences, such as stroking a stuffed animal. Music can also unlock memories and connections, she said, allowing participants to sing along to familiar songs even when verbal communication has become difficult.
Executive Director Debbie Unruh told attendees the center has grown from a simple vision of providing a safe place for caregivers to leave loved ones into something much larger.
“We started out as a safe space for caregivers,” Unruh said. “But never did I realize that the benefit would be so much more. The benefit to the person who’s living with dementia is so much better because they get to have the socialization and the enrichment and the music and the singing.”
Unruh praised the community support that helped transform the idea into reality, including referrals from local health care providers, donations from the Estes Valley Library, and the efforts of dozens of volunteers.
“We have 45 volunteers who are involved in our program,” she said. “If you were to be a fly on the wall and see our program during the day, you would cry, honestly, because the love and the joy and the fun that these people bring to this center is really incredible.”
The center’s guiding principles, she said, are compassion, dignity, safety, and joy.
“There’s nothing that can take away this diagnosis of dementia, but we can be a part of bringing joy to the journey,” Unruh said.
Several caregivers and participants attended the celebration, underscoring the need for memory-care services in the Estes Valley.
Among those recognized during the program was Pete Sinnott, whose experience caring for his late wife, Stephanie, inspired the creation of the center and helped drive fundraising efforts. Unruh credited Sinnott’s vision and persistence with helping bring the project from concept to reality.
“This was your dream and Stephanie’s dream,” Unruh told him. “It’s her legacy.”
Sinnott, a member of the center’s board of directors, thanked donors and supporters who contributed financially and through volunteer efforts.
“We wouldn’t be here this evening without the generosity that all of you exhibited,” Sinnot said.
The center found its permanent home after plans for a larger location did not materialize. The partnership with St. Bart’s provided an opportunity to renovate existing space and launch the program sooner than expected.
The Rev. Lea Colvill, rector of the Episcopal parish, said the church embraced the project because it aligned with its long-standing commitment to serving families affected by memory loss.
“Good ideas need protection when they are beginning,” Colvill told attendees.
The church has hosted monthly gatherings for people with memory loss and their caregivers for seven years, laying the foundation for the new center. Colvill said the congregation overwhelmingly supported partnering with the organization and helping it establish a home.
She noted that construction and modifications to the building, including new flooring, electrical work, accessibility improvements, and safety upgrades, were completed in just a few short months.
“The Holy Spirit must have inspired this project,” she said.
Looking ahead, Colvill said she hopes the center eventually grows beyond its current location.
“We trust that the Dementia Day Center will be with us for a couple of years, and then we’ll outgrow our facility,” she said. “It will be a joy for me to say you’re too big for us.”
Estes Park Mayor Gary Hall, who was on hand along with his wife, Linda, to entertain, recalled an early conversation he had with Sinnott on his patio as the project was taking shape and praised the broad community effort that brought it to fruition.
“The community has contributed so much along the way,” Hall said. “That’s really what it is. It’s about the community.”
The Estes Dementia Day Center offers daytime programming throughout the week, providing what organizers describe as an affordable option that allows people living with dementia to remain in their homes while receiving meaningful social engagement and support.
For organizers and supporters gathered Thursday evening, the celebration marked not only the opening of a new facility but the culmination of years of planning, fundraising, and community collaboration aimed at improving the lives of local families in a rural mountain community facing the challenges of dementia.
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