A Holistic Approach: New Day Services Program Expands Possibilities

Lakeside Curative Services in Racine is poised to add a day services program under the umbrella of services they provide. The new program is set to begin the first week of June and includes a range of day services activities including daily living skills, music, exercise, and other programs.

Adult day services are community-based group programs designed to meet the needs of adults with impairments through individual plans of care. These structured, comprehensive, nonresidential programs provide a variety of health, social and related support services in a supported setting. By supporting families and other caregivers, adult day services enable many participants to live in the community.

The key to the program is giving individuals choices. With the implementation of Family Care in Wisconsin (Racine was one of the pilot counties), Lakeside Curative staff began to explore new programs and services they could provide individuals who will now have more opportunities and choices for programming.

Adult day services (ADSs) typically operate during normal daytime business hours, generally five (business) days a week, although some facilities provide respite care in the evening and on weekends. According to National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA), the principal services of ADSs are assessment and care planning, assistance with activities of daily living, health-related services, social services, therapeutic activities, nutrition, transportation and emergency care. Day service programs tend to be very cost effective and therefore an appealing choice for individuals seeking services or agencies making referrals.

The Lakeside Curative staff did their homework when determining the types of day services they wished to provide in their program. They visited a number of different facilities offering day services and educated themselves and their Board on the latest trends and techniques. According to Angel Sorensen, Director of Vocational Services, "We wanted to offer something different and unique to our community, something to set us apart from other day service programs in the area."

One of the more innovative ideas was to add a sensory room (pictured right), based on the Snoezelen Philosophy, a therapeutic approach encouraging gentle stimulation of the primary senses in a safe and non-threatening setting. Multi-sensory rooms are environments in which stimulating activities and experiences are used to increase awareness and positive behaviors for individuals with severe sensory impairment or neurological challenges. The rooms have been shown to enhance skills such as sensory development (hearing, sight, taste, smell, and touch), hand/eye coordination, cause and effect, language development, control over one's environment, and relaxation.

According to Lakeside Curative's Marketing Manager, JoAnn Rodriguez, "The new Sensory Room will be a useful and interactive tool for participants to use for exploration, relaxation, fun and stimulation. This room adds a whole new exciting element to our vocational rehabilitation programming to be accessed by our community."

Another way they tapped into new ideas was to work with their local college, University of Wisconsin Extension – Parkside. An intern, Jennifer Babb, from the college worked closely with staff to develop a comprehensive curriculum that is integrated into all facets of the day services program. The team outlined a variety of themes and incorporated them into the curriculum including music, education, health and wellness, arts and crafts, and horticulture. The team also integrated the themes into the architecture of the new program area through colorful wall murals – painted by the talented intern (murals and new program areas pictured above and below).

With months of research, development, and education under their belts, Lakeside Curative is ready to launch these new services. The day services options will enable Lakeside Curative to continue to grow and expand, enabling them to serve a more diverse population of individuals. They are already receiving queries about expanding the programs to include seniors. Maggie White comments, "We look at these new programs as opportunities. They allow us to provide a more holistic approach to serving people with disabilities."

Lakeside Curative Inc. At a Glance:

• Lakeside Curative annually provides job opportunities to over 175 people with disabilities with a staff of around 25 employees.
• Vocational Services include a state of the art vocational assessment lab, competitive work training, WIA-youth training, skills training, facility based employment, supported employment, competitive job placement and day services.
• Subcontracting Services are supported by a 48,000 square foot production and warehouse facility with experienced staff and workers. LCS performs assembly, collating, fulfillment, inspecting, machining, packaging and distribution tasks for area businesses. Their subcontract services encompass all aspects of a customer's project including efficient inventory control, production scheduling, shipping and receiving, and logistics.
• Janitorial Services were established in 1996 with the goal of training and placing workers with disabilities in janitorial job settings within the Racine community. Since that time, the janitorial crews have proven themselves by not only meeting but exceeding customer's standards. The janitorial group cleans over half-million square feet daily in settings from institutional to office buildings providing services such as general housekeeping, laundry services, carpet extractions, upholstery cleaning, special projects and stripping/waxing floors.

Adult Day Services: The Facts

From the National Adult Day Services Association

• More than 3,500 adult day centers are currently operating in the United States providing care for 150,000 older Americans each day.
• Nearly 78 percent of adult day centers are operated on a nonprofit or public basis and the remaining 22 percent are for profit.
• 74 percent of adult day centers are affiliated with larger organizations such as home care, skilled nursing facilities, medical centers, or multi-purpose senior organizations.
• The average age of the adult day consumer is 72, and two-thirds of all participants are women.
• One quarter of the participants live alone and three-quarters live with a spouse, adult children, or other family and friends.
• Fifty percent of the participants using adult day services centers nationwide have some cognitive impairment and one third require nursing services at least weekly.
• Daily fees for services are almost always less than a home health visit and about half the cost of a skilled nursing facility. Daily fees for adult day services vary depending upon the services provided. Average cost across the country is approximately $56.
• Nearly one out of every four U.S. households (23 percent, or 22.4 million) provides care to a relative or friend aged 50 or older.

Location of Licensing, Certification, or Other Requirements:

• http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/forms/ddes/DDE0947.pdf
• http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/forms/ddes/DDE2611.pdf

WADSA (Wisconsin Adult Day Services Association) Conference 2007

Please mark your calendars for the WADSA conference. We will have our Directors track on Friday November 9th. Saturday November 10th will be for everyone. This years conference will be held in Green Bay WI. Visit their website for more information: http://www.wadsa.org.

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