Alzheimers Disease: Caregiving: Respite and Adult Day Care for the Alzheimers Patient
No matter how efficiently and effortlessly you have adapted your life to the role of caregiver, eventually you are going to need a break. Day care for Alzheimer¡¯s patients can give you that break. Occasional breaks are essential not only to your emotional well-being, but to the well-being of your relationships with your family, friends, and the person you are caring for. Taking an occasional break is also essential to maintaining your capability as a caregiver. For some caregivers a nearby family member can step in and provide the care, but for other caregivers that option is not available. In these cases, adult day care is an option.
Adult day care provides daily structured programs in a community setting with activities and health-related and rehabilitation services to older adults who are physically or emotionally disabled and need a protective environment. Many centers provide services to clients with a broad range of conditions and disorders, while others specialize in particular disorders such as Alzheimer's.
Care is provided during daytime hours, and the individual returns home for the night. These centers not only enable older people to live at home, thus maintaining a degree of independence, but they are also beneficial to a primary caregiver in need of respite from the everyday responsibilities of looking after a loved one. Many adult day-care programs also provide transportation to and from the center.
Adult day care is offered at a special-purpose facility or as a service at another type of care facility, such as a nursing home or assisted-living residence.
Services usually include, but are not limited to:
- Physical, occupational and speech therapy.
- Meals.
- Social activities (such as crafts, music, movies, community projects, intergenerational programs).
- Transportation, fellowship, support, and assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, eating, dressing, and grooming.
- Medically related services provided by health-care professionals, including registered nurses and therapists. General and social activities provided by social workers and other staff workers.
Adult day care also provides opportunities for education as well as taking into consideration the older adults' favorite hobbies, interests, and needs.
When deciding to investigate adult day care options, the first step is to locate centers in your area. Local churches and senior centers generally can provide information on adult day-care centers. In addition, some assisted-living and nursing home facilities offer adult day-care services.
Once the area centers have been located, call the centers and ask them to mail you information about the center such as eligibility requirements, sample menus, activity calendars, and the application process.
Once you have received the information, other things to look for include:
- How long the center has been in operation.
- Who owns or sponsors the center.
- Hours of operation.
- Days of operation.
- Whether they offer transportation to and from the center.
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