The following articles written by Caroline Tysseland R.N. or other staff Johnson Center staff, have been published in Denver-area newspapers 2005-2008.
Necessary Steps for the Caregiver – Programs and Therapies That Help
Emphasize the Positive
Adult Day – Something for Everyone
Adult Day Programs are making the mainstream media including national media outlets such as Good Morning American and a recent article in The Wall Street Journal.
In the January 10, 2008, edition of The Wall Street Journal, a two-page story on the growth and benefits of Adult Day Programs was featured in the Home and Family section. Here are some excerpts:
Adult day care is gaining popularity as baby boomers seek affordable, stimulating care for frail parents. Adult day care is becoming increasingly important in the burgeoning elder-care business.
*(Fees vary depending on location and services provided, including medical monitoring, day trips and other programs.)
Prime Time for Seniors
By Caroline Tysseland, RN
June 2007
It’s often a big step for a caregiver to introduce their loved one to programs and care facilities outside the home--a big step for the family caregiver who has been providing all or most of the care, and a giant leap for a frail senior who may have a disability or life-limiting condition. Yet sometimes these are the steps needed to bring a better quality of life to everyone.
Adult day centers can be a bridge to the family—a gradual transition and acceptance of care outside the home. Often an art program or day trip, hike, luncheon with special music, or visit to a facility for an exercise program is a good way to acquaint a loved one or friend to meaningful activities which stimulate the mind and often improve socialization and mobility.
What I have found is that some family members bring their loved one with memory loss to our center heavy at heart, believing that it’s the first step on a long downward spiral. They have delayed getting outside help and are suffering caregiver fatigue. Their loved one with dementia, post-stroke disability or advancing Alzheimer’s disease is deteriorating. They believe that nothing else can be done. As an adult day provider, it’s our challenge to prove otherwise.
The most recent good news is that new specialties are emerging in rehabilitation therapies. Therapies once thought to be useful only to those with cognitive abilities are being adapted to meet the needs of patients who found traditional rehabilitation too aggressive, too focused and time-limited. Rehabilitation includes: physical therapy to help manage pain, build strength and mobility; occupational therapy to build independence for daily self care and to enhance personal interest in activities and people; speech therapy to develop safe swallowing and to build memory and communication skills. These therapies are often covered my Medicare, and are proving successful in extending the quality of life of adult day clients including those with dementia when modified and when provided by specially trained professionals.
In the past, we might not have used rehab to improve the lives of an Alzheimer’s patient in the middle or final stages of the disease. Studies and my own experience have shown some dramatic results with such therapies. Clients unable to walk by themselves are now doing laps around our Center. Participants with few communication skills and no interest in socialization are making friends and communicating through a variety of activities. Now our staff is immediately on the look out for ways rehab might be beneficial from the moment a participant is enrolled.
For families to take the next step it is important to note that rehabilitation services may be offered on an outpatient basis with skilled professionals coming into the adult day center or group home, or they may be provided by the licensed facility that has rehabilitation professionals on staff. It’s also been found that people with age-related memory loss or moderate dementia caused from stroke or brain injury are being helped with cognitive stimulation and in some cases these treatments are slowing the progression of dementia. Local sources for these therapies may be found on the Internet or in your phone book.
The important thing is that we all can and must take positive steps when we look for ways to capitalize on the function and capacity left in each person, despite age or infirmity. The ranks of the elderly are growing and health issues and limitations often follow in stride. As we age, the key is to focus on the ability instead of the disability.
Caroline Tysseland, BS, RN, is the director of The Johnson Adult Day Center in Englewood, a nonprofit facility sponsored by The Colorado Health Foundation. For information, www.JADP.org. For Adult Day Resources visit www.CAHSA.org.
The Johnson Center works closely with Garden Terrace, an outpatient dementia rehabilitation center in Aurora, to provide a variety of services. For more information on these services, contact Garden Terrace at (303) 750-8418 or find them on the Internet at www.LCCA.com. Click on “locations” and scroll down to the Colorado facility.
Prime Time for Seniors
Caroline Tysseland, RN
January 2008
Move it or lose it. That’s what we think Adult Day Programs should be about. When participants come to an adult day center, the staff focus is not on the disability, but on the ability of each person, regardless of their impairment, to participate at every level. Mobility, enthusiasm and fun are central to the positive approach for those living with memory loss or recovering from the effects of a stroke. Walking three times a day, fun exercise routines using props and music are delivered throughout the day-- moving from room to room and patio to secured walkways, dancing, laughing, clapping, painting, singing—all are a part of the positive, active approach to care.
Have you noticed that adult day programs and centers are busy adapting services originally designed for frail elders to be appropriate for more active clients who have been hit with Alzheimer’s or other neurological diseases in midlife? At the Johnson Center in Englewood, we have found that most early-onset clients are in good physical health and want to stay active. Folks need activities, relationships and above all, good social experiences to brighten their day and lighten the load of their caregivers.
Last year we expanded our daytripping program to more than 200 trips a year and have added special High Impact Day Trips for participants who are able to hike several hours, participate in light sports activities and climb long flights of stairs. Family members report that this approach coupled with a fun, light attitude has resulted in increased self-esteem, mobility and joy in life.
Caroline Tysseland, BS, RN, is the director of The Johnson Adult Day Center in Englewood, a nonprofit facility sponsored by The Colorado Health Foundation. For information, www.JADP.org. For Adult Day Resources visit www.CAHSA.org.
The Seniors Blue Book
May 2007
Do you remember when day programs for older adults were few and far between? Fifteen years ago, a half a dozen elders with special needs might be taken to a church basement or school cafeteria for crafts and conversation several days a week. Not so any longer. Adult day programs are sprouting up in both non-profit and for-profit sectors. The Colorado Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (CAHSA) has more than 25 adult day program members. Additional programs exist in the metro area for organizations that are not members of CAHSA.
Open from daybreak to sunset, some of these programs have as many as 70 participants a day providing specialized medical services, day trips, personal care or exercise. Still others primarily serve the needs of those with memory loss or post-stroke disabilities. “Something for everyone” is the adult day provider’s challenge, including support and education for caregivers. As we enter the boomer generation, staying physically and mentally active despite impairments is the goal.
At the Johnson Adult Day Center in Englewood, a specialized facility for those with memory loss and other impairments, many caregiver support groups as well as cultural and social programs have sprung up. Working with community partners such as the Alzheimer’s Association and the American Red Cross, we are able to offer a variety of services to clients and family members with diverse needs. Multi-level activities for varying levels of impairment are customized to meet the changing needs of participants as they age. Recently, for example, adult day centers have been creating expended programs for a growing number of early-onset memory loss participants and for those clients whose drug therapies are slowing the process of Alzheimer’s Disease. These centers are busy adapting services originally designed for frail elders to be appropriate for more active clients who have been hit with the disease in midlife. Efforts are underway to re-educate law-makers and the public to the challenges that early-onset poses. Most early-onset clients are in good physical health and want to stay active, yet medical benefits and services may not be available for those younger than 65 years of age. Participants of this age, and sometimes older, are still physically sound and need activities, relationships and above all, good social experiences. Adult day programs are the perfect match for their needs
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