Forster Woods Provides Personalized Care, Programming for Adults With Disabilities and Their Families

“My favorite part about my job is by far the difference that we’re able to make for not only families, but also participants. Seeing the smiles on the faces of the people that come to our program really just makes your day,” said Robert Valasek, Forster Woods Adult Day Services community engagement, development and fundraising director. 

Forster Woods provides a safe, comfortable and reliable setting for adults who may require assistance with daily activities. Its programs are tailored to participants who may benefit from a compassionate environment and opportunities to socialize. Located at 201 Hillside Court, the business is in the heart of East Lansing, but still remains a mystery to many nearby residents. 

Started in 2012 by Father Ron of the St. Katherine’s Episcopal Church, Forster Woods originated in Williamston. In 2023, the center moved to East Lansing. The preacher was inspired by his mother who became ill with Lewy Body Dementia.

“There weren’t really any resources or places that provided care for individuals that suffered from that, so he started Forster Woods Adult Day Services,” Valasek said. “We started providing respite care for individuals who suffer from mental or physical disabilities, and we’ve grown since then.”

Expanding services over the years, Forster Woods added home care services where providers will go into participants’ homes. Valasek said the current East Lansing location allows them to serve Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton County residents. 

“East Lansing has been very supportive of our program, especially the City of East Lansing,” Valasek said. “It’s been a big game-changer for us, so we’re able to serve a much broader range of the community now. The great part of working in the East Lansing community is that we’re also able to partner with MSU nursing students.”

Forster Woods is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and provides breakfast, lunch and snacks during its programs. A variety of different activities are offered, including music, animal therapy, exercise, bingo, baking, cognitive exercises and more throughout the day. Some participants stay the day, while others visit for a few hours of specialized care. 

“We’re providing that respite care throughout the day where a family member may be working or they’re coming for socialization or different activities throughout the day,” Valasek said. “Some folks, unfortunately, may come from different circumstances where they may not have somebody at home, or they’re in an adult foster care home. We’re able to provide those different activities for them, the social organizations are a really big aspect of our program.”

Providing a safe place and seeing smiles on the faces of participants not only benefits them, but also their families and loved ones too. Caregivers can often get burnt out quickly, but places like Forster Woods are a welcome relief. 

Paid full-time and part-time staff, MSU students and volunteers provide personalized care. Services are made possible through a variety of funding sources, including at no-cost to some participants through partner programs like the Tri-County Office of Aging or the Veterans Association. There’s also a private pay option for the day, $20 per hour, or $27 per hour for home care services. 

To help remove even more barriers, Forster Woods also provides transportation to and from its programs, utilizing the CATA Spec Tran, Clinton County Transit and Eatran Service. Valasek said families appreciate the convenience of drop off/pick-up as well as the structure of the programs provided. 

In the future, Valasek hopes to see additional Forster Woods programs in the area and maybe even in different counties. On a daily basis, Forster serves 35 to 40 participants, growing about 40% from the Williamston to East Lansing locations. Valasek said there is still plenty of room to add more participants. Those interested in learning more can reach out to Forster by contacting it and scheduling a tour of the facility. 

Forster Woods has its upcoming 2025 Annual Golf Scramble, the largest fundraising event of the year. The event on Saturday, June 14 at Wheatfield Valley Golf Course in Williamston helps raise money for programming. 

To raise awareness of the center, Valasek visits senior centers and works with local organizations. Libby Keenan, retired East Lansing Public Schools social worker and member of the East Lansing Seniors Commission, recently learned of Forster Woods, and took a tour of the facility.

“I live about less than a mile from Forster Woods and I never knew about it,” Keenan said. “I’m pretty involved in the community, and it surprised me that there was this amazing thing that I didn’t know about and just heard about.”

Keenan was impressed with the facility and the staff’s care for participants. 

“I just felt like they really pay attention to what is important to seniors, and set it up in a way that if I was a senior needing that kind of facility, I would walk in and it would be so comfortable.”

The ability for Forster Woods participants to socialize particularly struck Keenan, who noticed how much loneliness can have a negative impact on both the mental and physical health of seniors. 

“I just feel like they take care of their whole picture, and it just really touched me,” she said. “Not everybody gets it right. You could set up a facility like that and it could go a lot of different ways, but I was kind of swept away by Forster. I didn’t know what to expect, and it was such a pleasant experience.”

Bruce Maynard’s son, Bryan, attends Forster Woods. He first heard about the center from some friends from church. After many adult programs and centers in the Lansing area closed down, the Maynard family and others like his struggled to find a proper facility. 

“We had to go look for other opportunities,” Maynard said. “Some friends of ours had their son going to Forster Woods at the time and said to check it out. We did, and we enrolled him and have been happy with everything since we’ve had him in there.”

Bryan is on the severe end of the autism spectrum, and doesn’t talk much. Unable to read or do a traditional job, the 35-year-old has a very short attention span, but is very lovable, said his father.

“We needed someone to watch Bryan while we were working, knowing he was going to be taken care of, and given some opportunities for activities to do. That’s what Forster’s been doing for him,” he said. 

Bryan has attended Forster Woods for about five or six years, riding the CATA bus rural route from Mason to attend daily. Although he doesn’t talk much, Bruce can tell his son is excited to go to Forster.

“His nonverbal cues are that it seems he’s ready to get on the bus in the morning,” he said. “If he didn’t want to go, he would push back. It seems like he’s ready to go out the door and spend time there.”

Maynard enjoys the staff’s caring attitudes and personalized strategies for each participant’s unique needs. The structured group environment provides a good space for his son.

“I think most of the workers we’ve had over the years have really been heartfelt and interested in all the clients that are going there,” he said. 

Bryan lives with his parents, who are his 24-hour care outside of the day program. The center provides respite for his parents, as well as socialization for their son. 

“If other parents are in the same situation, I would definitely say check it out and see if it’s a good fit for you,” Maynard said.