Family Alliance Blog

(Tribune photo by Lane Christiansen/October 9, 2009)

(Oct. 14, 2009 – Chicago Tribune, by: Lisa Black)- Ravaged by Alzheimer’s disease, Chris Klabunde, 73, speaks very little and sometimes forgets when he has eaten his last meal. But recently he returned home, chatting up a storm about a gentle old draft horse named Woody that he had brushed and stroked at the Main Stay Therapeutic Riding Program in Richmond.

“He told everybody about it — his kids, his grandkids,” said his wife, Peggie, of Woodstock, who was amazed.

He’s one of 18 senior citizens with memory loss or dementia in McHenry County whose lives have been transformed by an equine program traditionally used to help youngsters with disabilities.

Family Alliance, Inc., a nonprofit agency in Woodstock that promotes independence for adults 55 and older, teamed up with the Main Stay stables to provide the six-week sessions. In December, the Illinois Association of Adult Day Care will honor the partners during the Governor’s Conference on Aging in Chicago.

But the future of the program is in doubt since funding provided by the McHenry County Community Foundation has run out.

“I am sure we will be resubmitting grants … to link up with McHenry County agencies,” said stable owner Sara Foszcz. “I have high hopes we will find funding.”

Client fees cover only 15 percent of the stable’s costs, with outside donations making up most of the $400,000 annual budget, she said.

Pairing horses and seniors exceeded expectations, officials said, after trained therapists allayed any concerns about mixing frail elderly with the animals.

Family Alliance regular Ron Schmoller, 73, has asked about the horses every day since his first visit, said agency caregiver Deanna Kafka. Schmoller arrived recently with a loaf of French bread that he fed Woody.

Nearby, Franziska “Fran” Clemons, 64, laughed heartily as she recalled how a horse greeted her for the first time.

“I said, ‘Hi, how are you?’ And he sneezed right in my face,” she said.

Carol Louise, executive director for Family Alliance, said that at first she wasn’t sure if many people would be interested in visiting the stable. The staff selected five clients with dementia who they thought would benefit.

“When they came back, all the other clients were up in arms and said, ‘We want to go, we want to go,’ ” she said. “We had to do a lottery.”

The results sometimes left staff members in tears, from the first day when a 92-year-old woman happily announced from atop a horse that she could do anything.  Another woman with dementia never smiled, Kafka said, until she went to the stables.

“She came out here with no fear, and just started brushing and brushing the horse,” Kafka said. “I have pictures of it — she has a full grin.”

The same day, the woman wrote on a paper plate the name of the horse, Blackjack, and several other words. Now she keeps a journal.

“I got goose bumps; it was just amazing,” said Kafka, adding that it’s the most effective program she has seen during seven years at the agency, especially considering the short time it took to achieve results.

Peggie Klabunde is another believer. Her husband worked 37 years as a purchase manager before he began showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Family Alliance’s day program “has been a godsend,” offering her respite and giving her husband time to socialize, she said.

She was surprised that he took to the horses so quickly.

“He said, ‘If we had a farm, I would bring a horse home,’ ” Klabunde said. “I said, ‘We’ll work on that at a later date.’ “