Adult day programs keep seniors active, engaged
BUTLER TWP — About every three months, preschoolers and day care tots at Lifesteps can be found delighting the senior citizens in the Adult Day Health program, and vice versa.
LeAnn Fisher, supervisor of Adult Day Health Services, said about 12 seniors per day who are not quite ready for 24-hour care come to the Lifesteps building on New Castle Road to engage in activities in a safe environment while their caregivers are at work.
Some seniors come just to have a change of scenery in a medically monitored, safe and relaxed environment.
Dozens of children attending day care or preschool programs share space with the seniors in the same building.
When the two groups get together in Lifesteps' intergenerational program, love, learning and laughter ensue.
On a recent Wednesday, the youngsters and seniors got together to make an apple-themed craft using paper plates and construction paper.
“Their faces light up and it increases their energy and excitement,” LeAnn Fisher said of the tots' effect on the seniors. “The kids refer to (the seniors in the ADHS program) as 'grandmas and grandpas.'”The intergenerational program, which has been ongoing at Lifesteps for more than 20 years, includes themes according to the season.Fisher's favorite time of year is Halloween, when the entire group enjoys a spooktacular carnival.Last year, the seniors and youngsters collaborated to create a pumpkin bean bag toss, made spiders from yarn and beads that could be tossed onto a web, painted cans in Halloween themes to stack up and knock down and created a bowling game in which the pins were dressed up like ghosts.
“The seniors really enjoy when the kids come down here,” Fisher said.Cassandra Kokoski, vice president of development at Lifesteps, said the program is endlessly educational for the kids.“It's helping them to learn to interact with adults and understand their own selves,” she said.Judy, an ADHS client at Lifesteps for 15 years, enjoys the intergenerational program.“I like the kids,” she said.Asked how they make her feel, Judy replied, “Wonderful.”Ernie, another ADHS client, also loves interacting with the youngsters.“I'm happy when the kids are here,” he said. “It makes the kids happy too.”Amy Shuffstall, supervisor of children's services at Lifesteps, said the older day care kids and preschoolers learn from their senior friends.
“They're timid and a little fearful at first,” Shuffstall said. “Now, they say, 'I want to go! I want to go!'”Some games, such as hitting a balloon back and forth using a pool noodle, benefit both groups' motor skills.“They both engage longer because they do things together,” Shuffstall said. “They just light up. They truly enjoy the experience with the seniors.”She said one boy told her that he has a grandma, but no grandpa.“He said, 'I got to see a grandpa today,'” Shuffstall said. “There are so many benefits for them both.”Also on a recent Wednesday, a senior got a piece of paper stuck to her finger. A nearby youngster leaped to the senior's aid and removed the paper.“They learn compassion,” Shuffstall said. “I feel it's very fortunate to have a program where kids and adults are in the same building.”
Concordia Lutheran Ministries in Cabot also offers respite for the caregivers of senior citizens at its adult day services program.Stefani Dietrich, adult day services manager at Concordia, said an average of 14 senior citizens who are community members or residents of the Concordia campus receive care during the day at the homey and sunlit facility on Marwood Road.“It's a very relaxed environment,” Dietrich said. “It looks like somebody's living room and there's a kitchen.”The Montessori-based dementia programming sees those with memory issues participating in hands-on, interactive activities, such as using sensory boxes, puzzles and describing objects with various textures, Dietrich said.She said the program helps those with dementia maintain their mental abilities and independence as long as possible.The community members who attend the adult day services program, Dietrich said, are the loved ones of caregivers who work during the day or who just need a few hours respite to go to the movies, a salon or shopping.
“Caregivers bear a strong burden of stress, guilt and financial burdens,” she said. “They need relief.”Dietrich said caregivers can relax when they drop their loved one off at Concordia because they know their senior is in a safe environment, getting healthy meals and is stimulated and in a social situation.“The families are very happy with the services they receive and happy that their loved ones are well taken care of,” she said.In addition to the Montessori-based dementia program, Concordia also offers nursing care and medical monitoring, activities, recreation, exercise, snacks in addition to meals and field trips to local attractions.Caregivers can also access counseling, information and referral services as well as a caregiver support group on the second Tuesday of each month during which free adult care is available.
