When a family comes to us after an early-stage dementia diagnosis, they often think their only options are managing everything at home alone. They may also believe they have to make the difficult, premature decision to move a loved one into full-time residential care. We built our Adult Day Services program because we believe there’s a better middle path. It starts with how we structure the day itself.
Why We Don’t Do Short Visits
We could offer a five-hour drop-in program. Many places do. But we’ve seen what that leaves behind. It causes long unsupervised stretches on either side of a short visit. That’s right where missed medications, wandering, or unsafe moments tend to happen. Confusion and anxiety also tend to build as the day goes on — what’s often called “sundowning.” A brief morning visit does nothing to help with that.
That’s why we’re open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. A full day, structured the way a workday is structured, gives our Members something familiar and steady to move through. Moreover, it gives the family caregivers in their lives real hours back, not just a quick errand-sized window.
How We Staff and Structure the Day
We designed our program specifically around people with mild to moderate cognitive challenges. This is exactly where we can do the most good. A few things we think matter most: