South Bay Adult Day Care, Research Paper Example

Introduction and Background

Visiting the South Bay Adult Day Center was a transformational experience. The health care facility specializes in elderly care and employs specialist doctors and nurses who can support patients with dementia, stroke, and Alzheimer’s. The mission statement of the health care facility (Caring.com, 2014) states: “It is our mission to assist seniors with Alzheimer’s, dementia, stroke, Parkinson’s, or other conditions that cause them to have special needs to stay in their home communities with their families or in other community settings by providing a safe, stimulating social environment outside the home for them to enjoy, while at the same time providing respite for their caregivers”.

Working alongside with families and building services to meet every individual patient’s needs, and they call their patients “members”. The family-oriented service has great reviews from the community, and provides a welcoming atmosphere for both patients and visitors.

Observation

When I arrived at the day care center, I expected to see people who are mainly inactive and sit in the corner. This was not the case. Indeed, patients (members) were sitting around a table. Interacting with each other, playing scrabble laughing, they looked happy, content, and mentally stimulated. Another group of patients were chatting with each other. A third group of women, aged around 70-80 were completing crafts projects, crocheting little animal figurines for their grandchildren for Christmas. They had some magazines in front of them with the patterns, and were having a great time.

In most movies, elderly day care facilities and those that care for people with dementia or mental illness, people sit in a chair staring at a TV set. I was surprised to find no television turned on, and members interacting with each other. At 10.30, all day patients joined in the stretching exercises. It was good to see that the health care facility did not only focus on mental stimulation, but also provided some light physical exercise. Even people who found it difficult to get out of the chair stretched forward and completed the arm stretches. This, in turn, provided increased circulation in the body, and prevents several conditions restricting movement.

Interview with Staff Members

I met Kim Devine, the community coordinator who talked about the approach of the center towards the elderly. She stated:

“We understand that elderly people at home can get bored and miss the company of like-minded people. Several family members have told us that their relatives are looking forward to coming here, as they have made good friends, and can have a conversation with people like them. We also have several young volunteers visiting and helping out, and they always come up with a new idea of entertainment. They help organizing the monthly birthday parties for members, provide music, and even help with singing. We have several artistic students who help with creating crafts projects and paintings. This way, members can improve their confidence and start believing that they can still create something beautiful and useful. Several older patients with dementia, who do not get any outside mental and emotional stimulation feel depressed, and useless. We would like to show our members that they are valuable and valued.

Interview with Members

Suzanne is an 81 year old female patient who suffered from a stroke three years ago. Her family is unable to look after her in the daytime, and she was left alone before she started attending the center. She is a smiling lady, with every piece of hair on her head in the right place. She is nicely dressed, and has lively eyes. She describes her experience as follows:

“After I had a stroke and was released from the hospital, I got a nurse visiting me every morning while my son and his wife were at work. I still got bored for the rest of the time. I could only interact with the TV, the dog, and the nurse visiting. I felt that I was living in a bubble. My son found another day care center, but in there, all they did was handing out snacks, medication, and lunch. Everyone sat in a corner, reading or watching daytime TV. I told myself: I can do that at home, just get “meals on wheels”. Finally my son found this facility, and I saw the schedule. I love crosswords, bingo, and scrabble. At least I had someone to play with. I made some really good friends, and learned to use my left hand well enough to do some basic crochet. The young volunteers came in to teach us some art projects, and I am getting good at it. I can chat to anyone; it is like a family here.

Interaction with Elderly Patients

Talking to Suzanne and several other members of the small family of South Bay Adult Day Center, it was evident that the management values individual strengths and respects the elderly. They encourage interaction and patients are not only talking to each other. As they are used to younger generations, as volunteers come in the center, they are open to new experiences. When I first stepped into the center, several people asked me about myself. They were genuinely interested in my life, work, and learning. I found them confident and open.

Conclusion

The main takeaway of the visit to the South Bay Adult Day Center for me is that respecting elderly people and supporting them in a way that they feel valued again makes a huge difference in their lives and health, too. The center was not forcing physical exercise, still, many patients stood up and used walking frames to walk to the garden or do some stretching. They are mentally, socially, and physically stimulated, and this positively impacts their recovery.

References

South Bay Adult Center. (n.d.) Website. Retrieved from http://www.southbayadultcarecenter.org/

Caring.com (n.d.) South Bay Adult Care Center, Inc.. Retrieved from  https://www.caring.com/local/adult-day-care-in-redondo-beach-california/south-bay-adult-care-center-inc