Caring for a family member with dementia or other forms of memory loss can be challenging, both physically and emotionally. Often, family members are balancing caregiving with working outside the home and raising a family.
An adult day program provides valuable benefits for participants and their family caregivers. Program participants receive vital cognitive enrichment and socialization they may not receive during the day at home, especially if they are alone. Family caregivers receive needed reprieve from their caregiving duties.
Bernadine Powell, the caregiver for her husband who is a participant at our Adult Day Center, didn’t realize she needed a break. Yet, she does everything for her husband. Initially reluctant to the idea of a day program, she decided to give it a try. She’s happy she did.
“I can go to the grocery by myself, work on a special project or get my hair cut – things I couldn’t do before now. I didn’t know I needed that,” Bernadine said. “I don’t feel so overwhelmed. There were times where I felt absolutely overwhelmed, thinking, ‘how can I do this?’”
While family members may feel guilty at first about considering adult day care for their loved one, participants in an adult day program can benefit from:
- Social interaction
- Physical and cognitive stimulation
- Safety and support
Participation in an adult day program has also shown to create a needed routine, alleviate boredom and promote a sense of independence.
In addition to those benefits, results from our annual participant and family satisfaction survey shows the adult day program contributes to an improvement in family relationships. Relationships can often be strained due to the stress of living with memory loss or caring for a family member with dementia.
Many people often focus on the benefits of a day center for family caregivers in terms of a break or the chance to run errands or take care of themselves. Allison Kodeih, assistant activities director at MemoryLane, says, “Participants need their space and a break from home just as much as caregivers.”
“Our adult day program is a health model, which means we provide activities for physical and mental stimulation and socialization as well as nursing and personal care in a safe, friendly environment that feels like a home away from home,” said Salli Bollin, executive director of MLCS. “We design our services to meet the needs of adults with Alzheimer’s and dementia while supporting their strengths, abilities, and independence.”
Services MemoryLane Care Center provides include:
- Assistance with personal needs
- Group and individual activities
- Light breakfast, lunch, and snacks
- Medication reminders
- Guest programs for pet therapy and musical entertainment
- Physical exercise
- Transportation
The staff at MemoryLane has expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia and caregiving. They provide unparalleled care and compassionate support to adults needing supervised assistance in a safe place outside the home during the day.
Bernadine encourages families to look into the Adult Day Center. “Start coming here as soon as you can. You won’t regret it. The only thing I regret is not starting earlier.”
MemoryLane is the only independent, free-standing adult day center serving people with dementia and other forms of memory loss in the Toledo and surrounding area.
Watch the story about MemoryLane, including an interview with Bernadine, that aired on 13 ABC.
To learn more about how MemoryLane Care Center can provide support for caregivers and loved ones suffering from Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, visit our website or contact us.