What is an Adult Day Care Center?

Adult day care involves specialized programs that are designed to enhance the social, mental and physical care as well as health needs of seniors. At the senior center, the elderly are supervised and provided with assistance and companionship. The centers generally operate Mondays to Fridays during work hours, with some providing half-day services on Saturdays as well as some evening care.

Most adult day care centers are non-profit facilities with a few publicly funded and for profit.

There are two main types of adult day care and the focus is usually on:

1. Social activities along with recreation, meals and limited services for health issues.
2. Serious health care services along with meals, social and therapeutic services.

While most adult day centers serve the general population, some cater to specific groups, such as persons with Alzheimer’s or some forms of dementia; and meals, social and health care activities are also included.

Activities and Services Provided by Adult Day Care Centers

Without adult day care, many seniors would have been institutionalized; therefore it plays a critical role in preventing or delaying this action. The goal of adult day care is to help the elderly to maintain or to improve on their social, physical and mental abilities and skills, while addressing their health needs. The centers offer a wide range of activities such as local outings, holiday and birthday celebrations, entertainment with music, singing and art and craft. There are also interactive games, light exercises, group discussions and film shows.

The structured programs and activities may include:

• Socialization, exercise and recreation.
• Health screening, medical care and medication management.
• Counseling, physical therapy and respite care.
• Meals and transportation to and from the center.

At some adult day centers, seniors interact with children especially for art and craft activities. In addition, some seniors get the opportunity to give back to their community by sharing about their life experiences with school children and other community groups.

Benefits of Adult Day Care

Adult day care offers a great opportunity to keep the family unit together. Instead of being institutionalized, the senior will be able to stay at home, without requiring round the clock attention from his or her primary caregiver. It also allows the primary caregiver to work outside the home, run errands and to get a break from providing care to their relative on a 24/7 basis.

For the adult day care participants, there are many great benefits, including:

• A pleasant and safe supervised environment .
• Customized care based on needs.
• Assistance with activities of daily living.
• Support from and socializing with peers.
• Helping to develop seniors’ independence and sense of belonging.
• Nutritionally prepared meals based on health needs.
• Stimulating social and educational activities.

When to Use an Adult Day Care Center

Sometimes making a decision to use an adult day care center can pose a challenge for members of the family. Caregivers may feel as if they are giving up on their love ones and turning them over to strangers and the elderly may feel as if they are giving up their independence. However, using an adult day care center benefits all parties and should be an important component of a balanced home health care plan.

Seniors should always look at the possibility of using an adult day care and signs that it is time for the family to explore this option may result if the:

• primary caregivers are unable to continue to provide round the clock care.
• elderly is unable to be left safely and alone at home.
• senior is in need of peer support, interaction and socialization.
• senior requires help with structuring his or her own activities of daily living.

How to Find the Best Adult Day Care Center

When looking to find an adult day care center you should first identify the needs of both the senior and the family. This should take into consideration whether the senior’s main needs are more for social or medical.

Conducting research to find out if the adult day care is right for your family is very important.

A quality adult day care facility should include the following procedures:

1. Assesses the needs and abilities of each participant before admission.
2. Develops, monitors and adjusts individual treatment plans for every participant.
3. Uses staff and volunteers who are qualified and properly trained.
4. Implements standards and guidelines for both the state and national level.
5. Provides very clear guidelines regarding termination and offers referrals for other community services.

In addition, an extremely good adult day care program should provide a range of in-house services and activities in a safe and secure environment. These should meet the daily needs of participants, such as personal care, meals, transportation, recreational and rehabilitation.

Equipped with your information, you should then proceed to locate and learn more about the adult day care centers in your area. Good sources for references and information may include:

• Your local and national agencies that deal with aging, such as the National Council on Aging.
• Social services and mental health centers.
• Your family doctor and therapist.
• Recommendations from current users.
• Listings for ‘adult day care centers’ in the Yellow Pages.

*When contacting the adult care facilities, you should ask questions regarding the agency’s license, owners and length of time in operation, days and hours of operation, activities, programs, meals and staff qualifications.

Once you have identified the centers you would like to consider, you should visit them and speak with the staff and other families that use the center, since standards and services may differ. This will help you to determine if the facilities and programs offered meet with your requirements. Take along the recommended checklist by the National Aging Information Center to help you in your decision-making.

Costs and Funding for Adult Day Care

Costs for adult day care centers will vary depending on types of services, geographic location and type of reimbursements. Generally, the cost ranges from $25 to $100 daily and it is not usually covered by Medicare. However, some private medical insurance coverage and government or state assistance such as Medicaid and Veterans Administration may be available if you use a licensed facility. In addition, caregivers may benefit from tax credits for dependent care.

Other Resources and Links

Eldercare Locator, a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging. The Eldercare Locator is your first step for finding local agencies, in every U.S. community, that can help older persons and their families access home and community-based services like transportation, meals, home care, and caregiver support services.

Find Adult Day Centers in your area National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA)

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Contemplating Dementia Home Care

The first thing to determine when contemplating home care is whether it is in the best interest of the person for whom the care is needed. Realistically assess whether the home environment can be modified so that it is safe and conducive to proper care. Also, assess current commitments and personal limitations. While it is rewarding and highly admirable to provide elder care for an aging loved one, caring for a person with Alzheimer’s or other dementia is a full time job.

Once the decision has been made to become the primary caregiver, a host of other considerations must be addressed. The main purpose of home care is generally to allow the person to remain as independent as possible in a safe, loving and nurturing home environment. Creating this environment and ensuring adequate care around the clock requires planning and may necessitate significant modification to the home and adjustment of individual schedules.

Educate Yourself On Dementia Home Care

To the extent possible prior to commencing care, learn about various techniques that have proven successful when dealing with the particular type of dementia in question. Research strategies such as graded assistance, which helps individuals to accomplish various tasks with a minimal amount of help. Consult the primary care physician to ensure that any recommendation under consideration is appropriate.

Senior Safety First

When providing Alzheimer’s or dementia care, ensuring a safe environment is essential. Thoroughly examine the home, inside and out, for potential hazards. Lock up medications, lighters or matches, guns and knives. Use childproof latches on cupboards or drawers that contain cleaning supplies or chemicals. Secure anything that might be a health or safety hazard. If in doubt, err on the side of caution.

Eliminate clutter and remove throw rugs as they are a potential tripping hazard. Clear flat surfaces of breakables and ensure that pictures or mirrors are hung securely and not located where they might be brushed against in passing. Upgrade lighting, if necessary, so that all areas are adequately illuminated.

To prevent wandering, have secure locks installed on exterior doors and all windows. To ensure immediate access to provide assistance if needed, remove the lock from the bedroom and bathroom door. Keep a recent photograph on hand and make sure that a medical bracelet or other form of identification is worn or carried at all times in case of wandering or other accidental separation.

Create A Comfortable Environment For Dementia Home Care

In addition to ensuring safety, the environment should be as comfortable and soothing as possible. People with Alzheimer’s or other dementia are often easily agitated. Eliminate chaos and keep excess noise to a minimum. Ensure that meals are eaten in a calm atmosphere without distractions. When watching television, keep the sound adjusted appropriately and avoid programs that might cause confusion or agitation, especially those that contain violence of any kind.

Be proactive in the areas of temperature and personal comfort. Be aware of room temperatures and keep the thermostat at home set to provide a comfortable level of heating or cooling. For outings, take at least a sweater and a change of clothing in case of weather changes or accidents, either from spilling or incontinence. Always test the temperature of food, beverages or bath water.

Sleeping often presents unique challenges. Ensure that the bedroom is quiet and dim at night. Play soothing music or provide other background noise, such as the sound of the ocean. Use night lights in the bedroom, hallway and bathroom for safety. Develop a bedtime routine to calm and signify the end of day.

Part 2 of ” Guide to Dementia and Alzheimer’s Care at Home ” will cover important topics for successfully caring for an elderly loved one at home who is suffering from Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease such as;

• Dementia Care and Communication
• Dementia Care Routines
• Make Preparations
• Dementia Care Schedules
• Exercise For Dementia Home Care
• Dealing with Hallucinations from dementia
• Considering Pets For Home Care Patients
• Home Caregiver Back-up and Respite Care
• Remember To Take A Break From Being A Home Caregiver

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You may have noticed a change in your elderly loved one’s behavior. Perhaps they have grown increasingly depressed, or have begun to forget important people, places, and events in their lives. Sometimes you will see them misinterpret information. Perhaps they have wandered off and gotten completely lost a time or two. This can be extremely frightening.

Assess Elder Care Needs

If you see things like this take place, you may want to think about elder care at home. These changes in behavior may be a sign of Alzheimer’s or dementia, but they may also be caused by an imbalance in prescription medicine, dehydration, or a vitamin deficiency. It is important that you take the senior to be evaluated by a doctor before any decisions are made.

If you’re lucky, the problems might be solvable by a change in medication or diet, or possibly a short term stay in a hospital. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, and it becomes necessary to look into other solutions, such as senior home care.

After you and your doctor have determined that some sort of senior care is necessary, it is important to gather all the family members together. Emotions can be high at times like these, and you don’t want anyone to feel like they didn’t get to have his or her say in the matter. People can have widely varying opinions on the proper method of senior care. The very idea of nursing homes and assisted living facilities can often leave a bad taste in people’s mouths. Despite your own best intentions, you don’t want other family members to resent you for years to come because you made a decision that they didn’t fully agree upon.

Elder Home Care

One form of senior care that many people like is elder home care. By caring for a senior in their home or yours, the senior doesn’t have to feel like they are being neglected in a nursing home. There are many advantages and services available these days.

Some of these elder care services may include:

Companionship – A care giver can spend time with your loved one to help stave off feelings of loneliness.

Safety – a care giver can monitor the home and make sure everything remains safe.

Cleaning – A cleaning service can make sure that the home remains nice and clean.

Meals – Meals can be prepared in the home to ensure that the senior maintains a healthy balanced diet.

Medicine – A professional health care giver can ensure your loved one takes his or her medication correctly.

Transportation – if the senior needs to go to the store, church, or visit friends, he or she can be safely driven. This is also important and useful in times of emergency.

Physician Service – A physician can make scheduled or emergency house calls to ensure that the senior’s health remains in good condition.

Hygiene – A special caretaker can ensure that your senior receives the proper bathing, grooming, and toileting that he or she requires.

Financial Management – Keeping all the bills and finances organized can become a daunting task for a senior, so this can be a big help to ease his or her mind.

Many More – Including respite care, geriatric assessment, and rehabilitation and physical therapy.

After you have talked things over with your family, it will be time to begin the process of finding senior care.

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The important something is Adult Day Care or senior centers. They can be an important component in your loved one’s life. Adult day care centers will offer physical activity, balanced mental stimulation, new social ties and a new sense of purpose.

Different Generations

I look at it this way, your loved one is usually from another generation. Just having them come to live with you is not the some total of the answer to a problem. How would you like to go live with a group of teenagers? Even though they may love us, it doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t be comfortable interacting with us 24/7. The same should be considered with our loved one. This is why senior day care is a very important building block for the success of aging in place and mother in law suites.

If you’re loved one is confined to their home or In-Law Suite, a home care provider is another major building block. It matters not, whether the in home care giver is hired or a family member they must be educated to the basics needs of the senior or loved one.

Lifestyle Effects Longevity

According to the book titled “Happy to 102” their five building blocks of “The Balanced Care Method” are nutrition, physical activity, mental stimulation, social ties and sense of purpose. These five things can lead to the success of slowing the progress of Alzheimer’s.

It has been found that one third of our longevity is based on genetics leaving two thirds based on life style changes. You and/or your care giver can start these changes for your loved one tomorrow. Its exciting to see how a small amount of knowledge can change a whole life style and as a result the quality of life.

Check out this video to learn more about lifestyle changes and how they can effect longevity;

Adult Day Care

In the early stages of Adult Day Care your loved one will generally have one care giver for 8 to 10 seniors at a senior day care center. As time progresses and your loved one becomes home bound, an In law Suite with a qualified home care giver delivers a ratio of one on one interaction. The one on one home care can help maintain physical activity, mental stimulation and promote a positive sense of purpose.

Here is a helpful link to learning more about Adult Day care and how to find one that fits your needs;

HelpGuide.org

Planning Ahead

Mother In Law Suites become very important because of its flexibility. Because it is a place just for your loved one, the spaces can change as your loved one’s needs change. If they have to have physical therapy in place, a living room space in the In Law Suite can become a therapy room. Before you build an In Law Suite, plan for the changes of aging in place to extend the length of your loved ones stay.

In this age of high speed communication there is no reason to remain uninformed to these life giving changes. I find as I delve into information for In-LawSuite.com I see how the life style changes are here for me and you today. If you have anything to share about Adult day care centers please leave a comment below!