www.SeniorsA2Z.com

Mapping A Senior Care Service Solution
October '07 -
(Mercer County Women, Burlington County Women)

Resources for creating the most beneficial plan from you specific needs ...

As many of us know, statistics about the aging population and care giving are staggering and all numbers seem to grow exponentially. Concurrently, options to help caregivers, adult children caring for elderly parents and even senior care professionals themselves are growing in leaps and bounds. The great growth of services world seem all good news at face value, but very quickly a dichotomy surfaces. Many solutions are aligned with many needs; yet where does one begin?

Today, we are lucky to have service resources for seniors in many forms. To start, there are three basic sources to consider relative to what they can offer your situation: public (federal, state and local), private and not-for-profit organizations. Most often, the best solution consists of some integrated level of the three.

We’ve all been told numerous times – “use the right too (resource) for the Job!” At no time is such an adage more applicable than in the case of mapping a care solution for an aging individual.

Resources come in many forms and are available to seniors and caregivers along the entire continuum of aging life – from the active retiree looking to take on new experiences to the well-aged senior whose growing support needs span numerous areas including housing, nutritional support, help whit home activities, etc.

To make sure you get the right plan in place form the start, a resource to seriously consider invoking is the aid of various professionals focused on providing the type of planning help you need. These professionals can be found in both the public and private domains, will often save you stressful hours of false starts with wrong resources and will almost always save you dollars in the long run.

In the public domain, each state (and then to varying degrees, county or township level municipalities) has some form of Area Aging Offices in place to provide the public guidance on these issues. The Department of Health & Senior Services (or the equivalent) of each state is another great starting point. Individuals in these public departments will be familiar with public resources and programs in the areas of finance, legal, guardianship, etc.

In the private domain, the ranks of Geriatric Care Managers, Eldercare, Attorneys, Certified Senior Advisors, etc. are going in both number as well as in their level of use. These individuals have strong backgrounds and experience relative to their areas of practice (law, registered nursing, social work, financial planning, etc.) and are now leveraging their professional experience in the focused area of senior-related issues. Often these professionals gain certifications which further help to enhance their knowledge of senior issues, the latest regulations, etc.
The value of developing the right plan in a proactive manner cannot be overstated! To the degree that the elder involved is able to actively participate in the process, any necessary subsequent adjustments are transitions are made easier for everyone involved.

to find many more definitions f terms for the senior care environment along with thousands of listing of senior services resources.

www.SeniorsA2Z.com is the newest and most comprehensive website of senior service resources, combining public and private, national and local service providers – all in one place! It contains over 200 categories, organized in a simple-to-use online index. New Jersey based, the site lists basic public resources for all 50 states and is already in the process of expanding local, private listings in additional states.

SeniorsA2Z was founded by Grazina Crisman, entrepreneur and business executive in both large Fortune 500 corporations as well as small businesses, is experienced in the presentation and delivery of critical information to customers.
Posted by Malden Senior at 4:35 PM
Labels: aginginplace.homecare, living at home. neighborhoods. survey

Adult Daycare

new solution to taking care of our loved ones. With America's growing elderly population, many people are starting to have to provide care for their parents. The caregivers may not want to put their parents in nursing homes for a variety of reasons including costs, not trusting their medical staff, not needing 24/7 care, and even respecting their parents desires not to be in nursing homes. Even though these people are not being placed in nursing homes, they do need some one to cook for them and supervise them during the day while their caregivers are working. To help with this, there is a growing trend of adult daycare services.
These adult daycare services specialize in providing activities for elderly and/or handicapped. These centers normally operate between 10-12 hours per days and provided participants with food, activities, and company. According to the National Adult Day Services Association, there are over 3,500 adult day centers services in the United States. Most of these run on a nonprofit basis. The average national cost for adult daycare is 56 dollars, which is less than a home health visit.
There are three times of adult dayservices. There is are adult daycare that are for more active people. Then there are adult day health care that will help with a medical care. There is another classification of adult day services that specialize in caring for people with Alzheimer's or other forms dementia and all staff member are trained to handle dementia.
If this sounds like something that would benefit you or someone in your family, please contact your local office on aging or ask your family physician for recommendations. Also try looking for the topics "Adult Day Care," "Aging Services" or "Senior Citizens Services." in the phone book. If you are trying to find an adult dayservice from out of town the national ElderCare Locater, 800/677-1116, can help you.
Once you begin looking for a adult dayservice, here is a checklist of questions that may be helpful to you.

Adult Day Care Centers

A Guide to Options and Selecting the Best Center for Your Needs

Caregivers may feel reluctant to use adult day care services because they seem unfamiliar, or because a loved one is hesitant to try something new. Participants benefit from socializing with others and receiving needed care services. Caregivers benefit by getting a break from caregiving duties while knowing that a loved one is in good hands. Source: Careguide@Home
In This Article:
What is adult day care
Services provided by adult day care centers
Benefits of adult day care
When to opt for an adult day care center
Finding an adult day care center
Costs and financial assistance
References and resources
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With life expectancy continuing to rise, we may need assistance as we age. While help of all types is available, a valuable though not well-known service is adult day care, designed for older adults who can no longer manage independently, or who are isolated and lonely.

What is an adult day care center?
Adult day care is a planned program of activities designed to promote well-being though social and health related services. Adult day care centers operate during daytime hours, Monday through Friday, in a safe, supportive, cheerful environment. Nutritious meals that accommodate special diets are typically included, along with an afternoon snack.

Adult day care centers can be public or private, non-profit or for-profit. The intent of an adult day center is primarily two-fold:

To provide older adults an opportunity to get out of the house and receive both mental and social stimulation
To give caregivers a much-needed break in which to attend to personal needs, or simply rest and relax
There are currently approximately 4,000 adult day care centers nationwide, according to the National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA). The proliferation of centers over the past two decades corresponds to the "mushrooming demand for home and community based services" to meet the needs of a rapidly escalating elder population.

Good candidates for adult day care are seniors who:

Can benefit from the friendship and functional assistance a day care center offers,
May be physically or cognitively challenged but do not require 24-hour supervision,
Are in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.
Adult day dare center participants need to be mobile, with the possible assistance of a cane, walker or wheelchair, and in most cases, they must also be continent.

A social adult day care setting differs from adult day health care, which usually requires a health assessment by a physician before someone is admitted into the program. Adult day health centers, which typically use the term "Adult Day Health Care" (ADHC) in their names, often provide physical, occupational, and speech therapy, and are usually staffed with an RN and other health professionals. A third type of day care provides social and health services specifically for seniors with Alzheimer's or a related type of dementia.

Services provided by adult day care centers
A well-run adult day care center's goals will focus on enriching the participants' lives, building upon their skills, knowledge, and unique abilities and strengths. Below are some of the activities that may be available:

Arts and crafts
Musical entertainment and sing-a-longs
Mental stimulation games such as BINGO
Stretching or other gentle exercise
Discussion groups (books, films, current events)
Holiday and birthday celebrations
Local outings.
Some centers offer programs that include children. The Friendship Center in California developed The GOLD Project, described as, "An innovative intergenerational program embracing growing older with grace and dignity." Elders visit local classrooms and share their life experiences with the children, educating and enlivening both groups in the process. The Center also has an "Adventuresome Aging" program for people with early stage Alzheimer's disease, to help them remain engaged and active in the community.

Besides recreational activities, some adult day care centers provide transportation to and from the center, social services including counseling and support groups for caregivers, and health support services such as blood pressure monitoring and vision screening.

Benefits of adult day care
Almost Family, an adult day care provider in both the U.S. and Canada, summarizes the benefits well: "Adult day care offers a win/win situation for everyone in the family—not only the client or member who attends the program, but also for the family member who has primary responsibility as caregiver. Adult day care provides a much-needed respite for the caregiver, affording a break from the physical demands and stress of providing round-the-clock care."

For the participant, adult day care's benefits can be extensive:

a safe, secure environment in which to spend the day
enjoyable and educational activities
improvement in mental and physical health
enhanced or maintained level of independence
socialization and peer support
nutritious meals and snacks.
When to opt for an adult day care center
It's usually challenging to admit you need help, especially if you've been a highly independent person used to caring for others all your life! And if you're the caregiver, it may be equally difficult to consider allowing "strangers" to care for your beloved family member.

As with any service, the best time to start exploring what's available is before you actually need it. According to ElderCare Online, you should seriously consider using adult day care when a senior:

can no longer structure his or her own daily activities
is isolated and desires companionship
can't be safely left alone at home
lives with someone who works outside the home or who is frequently away from home for other reasons
Finding the right adult day center for your family's needs
The National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA) recommends you start by asking yourself what specific services both elder adult and caregiver most need. For the day care participant, are social activities primary? Assistance with walking, eating or medications? Mental stimulation? Exercise? As a caregiver, is support what you need most? Some free time? Help with transportation? Answering these questions will help you determine which of the three main types of adult day care centers (social, health-focused, and Alzheimer's/dementia oriented) will best serve you.

In addition to the many references and resources to help locate adult day care centers in your area, you can also try:

Your family doctor
Local social services or health department
Mental health centers
Local senior center
Area Agency on Aging (Call 1-800-677-1116 for the AAA in your area)
Yellow Pages listings under Adult Day Care, Aging Services, Senior Citizens' Services, and similar categories.
When you phone the center(s) you've chosen to consider, NADSA suggests asking the following questions:

Who owns or sponsors the agency?
How long has it been operating?
Is it licensed or certified? (If required in your state)
What are the days and hours of operation?
Is transportation to and from the center provided?
Which conditions are accepted (e.g., memory loss, limited mobility, incontinence)?
What are the staff's credentials, and what is the ratio of staff to participants?
What activities are offered? Are there a variety of individual and group programs?
Are meals and snacks included? Are special diets accommodated?
Next, spend a day at the center that sounds best to you, so that you can get a "feel" for the people and environment. Be sure to bring a site checklist with you (see references and resources below). You may wish to go back a few times to see whether your experience on different days confirms your initial impressions.

Costs and financial assistance for adult day care
The cost for an adult day care center ranges from $25 to $70 or more per day, depending on where you live and the services provided (e.g., meals, transportation, nursing supervision). Professional health care services will mean higher fees. Many facilities offer services on a sliding fee scale, meaning that what you pay is based on your income and ability to pay.

While Medicare does not cover adult day care, Medicaid will pay most or all of the costs in licensed adult day health care settings and Alzheimer's focused centers, for participants with very low income and few assets. Be sure to ask about financial assistance and possible scholarships.

Private medical insurance policies sometimes cover a portion of adult day care costs when licensed medical professionals are involved in the care. Long-term care insurance may also pay for adult day services, depending on the policy. Additionally, dependent-care tax credits may be available to you as caregiver.

References and resources for adult day care
Other related links
Find an Adult Day Center – Provides names, addresses, and contact information for adult day care centers throughout the country. The site also provides 8 steps for choosing the right adult day care. A checklist is available to fill out before visiting centers and a post-visit questionnaire is included to help in the decision-making process. (National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA))

Eldercare Locator – Telephone referrals to adult day care centers. Call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM (ET). (Administration on Aging)

Adult Day Care Checklist – Provides a checklist of important questions to ask when visiting an adult day care facility. (CareGuide)

What to Look for When Choosing an Adult Day Care – More information to help you choose an adult day care facility. (Intergenerations)

Additional online resources for adult day care
Adult Day Care: One Form of Respite for Older Adults – Provides a comprehensive fact sheet about adult day care including benefits, types, statistics, etc. (ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center)

Adult Day Care and Adult Day Health Care – Explains the difference between adult day care and adult day health care. (SeniorResource.com)

A Key to Choice for Seniors (PDF) – A guide to help assess lifestyle needs and evaluate the many housing and service options available to seniors. Includes a section on adult day care services. (The Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging (MAAA))

Adult Day Service Centers – A searchable database of adult day care facilities throughout California (State of California/California Care Network)

Other resources that we used in writing this article
The GOLD Project (The Friendship Center)

Selecting An Adult Day Care Center (ElderCare Online)

Amara Rose, Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., and Monika White, Ph.D., contributed to this article. Last modified on: 3/14/07.


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