San Jose day center CEO helps people with dementia

Maria Nicolacoudis has dedicated her life to building support programs for adults with disabilities and is taking on what could be her biggest challenge: Providing care for the growing population of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Nicolacoudis is CEO of Hearts & Minds Activity Center in San Jose, a unique nonprofit that provides day care for older adults with dementia — as well as preschool-age children. She manages a team of 30 workers caring for preschoolers in one large room and older adults spread across several rooms with activities — such as games, singing, dancing and arts and crafts — based on the severity of their dementia.

“There are so many families affected by dementia, across generations,” Nicolacoudis told San José Spotlight, adding the pressure of caregiving can break up families.

Hearts & Minds, located at 2380 Enborg Lane near Valley Medical Center, serves 93 adults and 17 children Monday through Friday, giving family caregivers a break to go to work or run errands. Family members often act as caregivers for their relatives. The center is licensed to serve 150 adults.

“I realized there wasn’t enough awareness and advocacy (for people with dementia), including for caregivers,” Nicolacoudis said. “What we do here should be replicated. This is a really good model.”

Nicolacoudis, 65, grew up near Marijane Hamann Park, less than a mile from the future site of Hearts & Minds. She got started as a caregiver at age 10, when she volunteered to help her mother care for her brother Peter, now 64, who has Down syndrome.

Inspired by programs that helped her brother work and live independently, Nicolacoudis later took on leadership roles in nonprofits serving adults with schizophrenia, autism and other disabilities.

Ten years ago, a recruiter pitched her on the top job at Hearts & Minds. Although Nicolacoudis hadn’t previously considered working with older adults, her brother had just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

“Everything came together at the same time to make me see I need to be here,” she said. “This was my next calling.”

The need is certainly great. More than 7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, a number projected to reach 13 million by 2050 as the population ages.

Hearts & Minds started in 1984 with a program for older adults and later added child care solely as a benefit for its staff. The child care proved so popular that it later opened to the public.

Once a day, there’s an “intergenerational activity” where the children come together with the older adults they call “grandma” and “grandpa.”

“It’s fascinating to watch the overlap. You can see the people dementia come to life because they feel a sense of value,” Tami Anastasia, a dementia educator and writer who works with Hearts & Minds, told San José Spotlight. “It’s just this unconditional acceptance on both sides.”

San Jose resident Michele Jackson said her mother Lorraine, 88, was falling into depression during the pandemic because she was cut off from her usual social outlets. Jackson added that her mother can become “aggravated and anxious” when on her own.

“If it wasn’t for Hearts & Minds, mom probably won’t be able to remain at home,” Jackson told San José Spotlight.

Nicolacoudis said a typical day for her at Hearts & Minds includes “more meetings than I like,” as well as walking through all the activity rooms, working on grant requests, talking to employees, connecting with other organizations in the community and reading research reports on managing dementia.

All the consultation and reading is a guide for Nicolacoudis in expanding the offerings at Hearts & Minds. Earlier this year, she launched a socialization program for people with mild cognitive impairment, the earliest stage of dementia.

Later in the year, she is looking to start welcoming older adults with both dementia and Down syndrome. She also wants to start a service to connect caregivers with dementia resources.

Dr. Vikas Duvvuri, a psychiatrist in Fremont and president of the Hearts & Minds board of directors, describes Nicolacoudis as “someone you really want to work for.”

“She’s able to do hands-on management, but in addition she’s able to zoom out and look at new opportunities,” Duvvuri told San José Spotlight.

Anastasia added that Nicolacoudis is the soul of Hearts & Minds.

“She’s the one who’s constantly asking how we can improve and how we can provide more services,” Anastasia said.

Contact Mike Langberg at [email protected].

Editor’s note: Mike Langberg’s wife has attended the Hearts & Minds program since 2022.