Choosing The Right Day Health Center for MOM
Listen to hear Jenon Laurene and her mother discuss making a decision on the best place for Mom. [display_podcast]
Daughter Jenon Laurene and her mother, Doris Jean Hoogstad
Elder and Adult Day Services (EADS) operates a day health center on the campus of Wesley Homes in Des Moines, WA. And like community clubs or social associations everywhere, the interaction between individuals is a big factor in the satisfaction of the participants.
The difference between the kinds of interaction you might experience at a Senior Center vs. a Day Health Center is the feeling of membership in a social environment where activities are therapeutically based and supervised by professional staff trained to advance cognitive and physical skills.
“Socialization is really, really important,” said Jenon Laurene, who found EADS the right place for her mom, Doris Jean Hoogstad. “I can’t be the only support person,” she said, “Variety is the spice of life.”
“We originally connected through the Alzheimer’s Association and were at another facility,” said Laurene, but Mom didn’t really like going there; she gave me a hard time every day so I just stopped taking her.”
“Our caseworker, Christine Broome, recommended EADS” said Laurene “So we came for an interview and it was awesome. We looked at the different programs they were doing, Mom tried it, and she liked it from the beginning. Not even once has she ever told me she didn’t want to get up and go.”
When asked why she likes coming here, Hoogstad said, “I think it’s great because it’s friendly and people speak to you whether they know you or not.” I’m bad at remembering names,” she admits, “but you don’t have to remember names. They don’t care.”
“They all miss me when I’m not here,” said participant Ira Cockrell. According to the Center Director Chris Plyman, “Ira is one of those people who are the first to greet newcomers and make them feel at home.”
Frank Horsfall, another participant and a resident of Wesley Homes, said he appreciates the health aspects of the center and particularly the reassurance that he’s guaranteed to be taken care of the rest of his life. “I’m very satisfied with it,” said Horsfall.
When asked how it benefited her to bring Frank to the center in the daytime, Athalie Horsfall said, “He’s here for my sake. I’m not shy about that. It’s tough being a caregiver because it’s a 36 hour day and it’s harder than anything you’ve ever done.”
“He comes home animated,” said Athalie, “and that’s good, and I’m not worrying about where he is and what he’s doing during the days he’s at the center. It’s amazing how much more I get done when he’s here.”
Plyman was attracted to EADS because of his personal experience of being one of the two main caregivers for his grandmother. He knows firsthand the stress and how much of one’s own life you need to give up in order to fulfill filial obligations.
“For four years my mother and I worked in shifts,” said Plyman, “we were doing 12 hrs a day every day, and it was wearing us down, frankly. “It was taxing on me,” he said, “Can you imagine what it was like for my 79 year old mother?”
“We finally found out about EADS and my grandmother started coming here to this center,” said Plyman, “This place made my grandmother’s life so much happier towards the end of her life that if it were only for that it would have been worth it.” Plyman’s grandmother passed away at age 99 in March of this year.
“I became a huge believer in what we do here,” said Plyman, “because I saw the change in my grandmother who suffered from vascular dementia and depression. I saw a marked decrease in the amount of depression that she had; she was happy, she was visiting with people, and she brought home stories afterward.”
“But the other part about it is the amazing relief that we had as caregivers to give us that break to allow us to go on; to let me reenter the career field – which eventually led to his devoting his life to working with EADS. We say EADS gives back life, and it really, really does.”
–ilene little for Wesley Homes
November 17th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Having benefitted from a full orientation on EADS and what it has to offer, it should be a extremely beneficial resource for anyone in need of their services. It is not only what they privide, it is the attitude and concern that they bring to their clients that makes them exceptional.
November 29th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
This sounds like an excellent EADS program and I am glad to see that there are some around who genuinely care about their registrants. I can assure you, they are not all that way. Here on Long island, there is a company who is in the process of constructing a completely eco-friendly Adult Day Services Center, in fact, the very first of it’s kind, which is expected to revolutionize the industry. We are all very excited about it’s proposed grand opening as evidenced by the fact that they are already telling people they may not be able to enroll in the initial sign up. hopefully your center also offers many simultaneous daily activities for your registrants to choose from.
Thanks so much for caring!
November 29th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Oh…maybe your EADS will be able to join forces with The Golden Years, or TGY – Adult Day Services Centers, as they like to call it, when it opens a facility out there?
Thanks again,
Kurt