By LEE WARD - The Independent
ASHLAND — Many adults are caught in the middle of a caregiving dilemma: They are responsible for tending to their children as well as their aging parents.
For help, parents can turn to day care services for their children, but Ashland also has day care service for the elderly.
Active Day of Ashland has about 30 daily clients, director Sally Dyer said, a figure that has increased over the last year.
“We’re the best-kept secret in town,” Dyer, who was a nurse at King’s Daughters Medical Center for 25 years, said. “We’re getting out in the community a great deal, raising awareness of the services that are provided.”
Dyer said the center provides a structured environment and age-appropriate activities; services are provided to the developmentally disabled and the elderly.
“We keep them up on current events and provide healthy snacks and meals,” Dyer said. “There is occupational and physical therapy in the activities we do and we’re licensed to provide occupational, speech and physical therapy.”
The center will have a team walking in the Alzheimer’s Association’s Memory Walk and part of fundraising efforts is a Rockathon, scheduled for Sept. 25, during which time two rocking chairs will be kept going by clients all day.
Dyer said the center serves a variety of important purposes for many families — some leave family members there during the day while the rest of the family works or is in school, some rely on the center for a shift of supervision for a relative who needs constant care and some take advantage of the center for respite care.
She said it’s important for caregivers and relatives to be aware of the signs that indicate a family member needs help. They include:
‰Significant weight loss or gain; spoiled food in the refrigerator or duplicate boxes of household items in the pantry.
—Problems with personal hygiene, especially dirty hair or smelly clothes.
—Increased difficulty with mobility, including using stairs or a bathtub.
—Obvious lack of housekeeping, like dirty dishes piled up, unopened bills, stacks of newspapers, unclean bathrooms, unmade beds.
—Changes in judgment, mood or behavior or excessive sleep.
—Unusual, new or extravagant items on display in the home, things that would be out of character.
—Increased forgetfulness, lack of social interaction, missed medical appointments.
—Disorientation to time and place.
—Problems with language and reasoning.
—Difficulty performing familiar tasks.
Dyer said if these signs are present, share that information with other family members or the caregiver. Then, plan a doctor’s visit for the family member at a time you can accompany him or her.
“People are very clever about hiding what they can or cannot do,” Dyer said of those suffering from dementia.
She also recommends family and caregivers not delay getting help caring for family members when they believe they need it.
“The best thing is they realize they do need help and not to get to the point where they are so frustrated and tired that they can’t cope with the situation they’ve been dealt,” she said.
The center accepts Medicaid patients and private pay, which costs $63 per day. Dyer said Medicare does not pay for adult day care but a bill has been introduced to change that policy. The center also accepts funding from the Veterans Administration.
