The first licensed, freestanding adult day center in Cy-Fair is set to open early next year in a 10,000-square-foot building off Fallbrook Drive, across from Cypress-Fairbanks Hospital.

The senior center was originally supposed to open in a 5,000-square-foot facility at Jones and Sathoff roads, but issues with the builder prompted the Senior Citizens Bureau—the nonprofit in charge of the facility—to find a new location.

The Vaughn Gage Healthy Aging Center will provide a place for seniors to stay during the day, with extended hours from 7 a.m.–7 p.m. The center will have a full-time nurse on staff to administer medication, and there will be transportation services available for clients, along with counseling services. The Senior Citizens Bureau is also working to add two restrooms and a shower to accommodate more people, said Asheva Phillips, president of the nonprofit.

"This isn't the basic knit and bingo adult day center: it's a different model," she said. "It's focused on a wellness clinic with an adult day component."

The center will also be focusing on holistic aging, and clients will be able to take home fresh herbs and vegetables throughout the month.

"Our sitting area in the building will have organic soil and an herb wall so they can take fresh herbs home," Phillips said. "Once a month we'll have an organic food co-op so clients can take home fresh fruit and vegetables from a supplier we're going to partner with."

Ultimately, Phillips hopes the center provides a place for seniors to socialize during the day.

"We know some people have to take their parents to the local library because they don't have a place to drop them off when they do errands," Phillips said. "We want to bring seniors together and allow them to socialize, as opposed to sitting at home alone. With us they can socialize and keep living."

The center expects to begin pre-enrollment in December and open by January. For more information on the facility, visit www.vaughngage.org.