A Meaningful and Practical Adult Day Care Program
Introduction
There are many adult day care centres being set up throughout the country to care for
the elderly and provide respite to caregivers. These adult care centres provide a range
of health, social stimulation and therapeutic recreational programs in supporting
group settings. Clients attend adult day care centres for:
• Caregiver and family respite
• Waiting residential placement
• Health status monitoring
• Medication support & monitoring
• Therapeutic activities
• Access to health education
The adults that attend the programs set up by these adult care centres usually have
decreased mental, social and physical functioning. Some of these adults may have
cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer’s disease, developmental or physical
disabilities and a chronic mental illness.
If I had the opportunity to serve on a committee to help guide the establishment of a
new Adult Care Program in my community I would advocate for activities that
would ensure the program is meaningful to clients and practical to the family
caregivers seeking respite. These adult programs would provide opportunities for
socialization and peer support, nutritious meals and snacks, participation in recreational
activities (individual and group) and basic personal care. Between activities, participants
would be given opportunities for rest and relaxation. Throughout the rest of my paper I
will give a breakdown of how this Adult Day Care would look like and the programs
provided based by the community I live in of Medicine Hat.
Transportation
In Medicine Hat we have a special transit system ...