Adult Day Services offers TLC to aging adults By Anita Stratos Our aging population faces many challenges,not the least of which is the stress put upon caregiver families who try to balance work,a multigenerational family,and special care for an aging parent or relative.At the same time, aging parents are facing difficulties of their own,which can include loneliness,a feeling of detachment,or physical or mental challenges.One source has the answer to all of these dilemmas:Adult Day Services in North Brunswick. Adult Day Services offers a friendly,caring environment where adults who need assistance in certain areas can get the personalized attention and care they need to improve their quality of life.At the same time,caregiver families are able to go to work and attend to other family matters with a renewed peace of mind that their loved ones are in good hands. "We work with adults with cognitive impairment, such as dementia,or who need assistance with one of the five activities of daily living:eating,communicating, dressing,mobility,or hygiene,"said Bernadette Pechilio,managing director. "We create a stimulating environment to help individuals maintain skills and improve skill loss." While there is social stimulation in the daily activities atAdult Day Services, it's not to be confused with a Senior Center. Time spent atAdult Day Services is well structured with a higher level of care; adults receive four-to-one or eight-to-one support from staff members,who always know where each person is and what they need.Group size depends on each individual's needs and the amount of care depends on the severity of each person's condition on any given day. The program includes activities,meals, transportation to and from the center, flexible hours (7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and there are no set schedules or sessions; this makes it easier for families to work the program into their own schedules.Meals are made to accommodate a wide range of dietary requirements including kosher, vegan, low-salt and diabetic diets. Activities Director Hayley Hay keeps variety in her programs,offering participants different mental and physical activities daily.Every morning after breakfast, adults start their day with exercises based on each individual's abilities. "All aspects of everyone's limitations are taken into consideration,"Hay said. "Most activities are generally passive- we have chair volleyball,chair soccer,and chair badminton so that everyone can participate on an equal level even if they're in a wheelchair.For those who can walk,chair sports offer a bit of a challenge and encourage them to do stretches and reaches." When the weather is accommodating, there are outdoor walks for those who are ambulatory.A favorite activity among seniors is bubble blowing,which improves breath control and helps those with breathing difficulties to breathe easier.Because some participants have difficulty memorizing routines, tai-chi movements are instead used as stretching exercises or they're incorporated into the exercise program; this also works well for people who are confined to a chair and helps those who are unsteady on their feet to equalize their balance.Besides being good for them mentally, seniors also get a sense of pride for their physical achievements. "We're currently working toward getting our exercise participants official certificates of acknowledgement from the National Institute ofAging,"Hay said."We keep records of the exercises they do every month,and when the certificates arrive we hang them on the wall,after which the recipients can bring them home. It gives them a sense of purpose and physically shows their accomplishments." In addition, those who are able can go on field trips to enjoy other recreational activities such as bowling,movies,and pottery painting,as well as seasonal activities such as apple and pumpkin picking. One of the favorite trips is to the butterfly house,which fascinates everyone who goes.Upcoming outings include trips to Drumthwacket and Ellis Island,where visitors can track their family history.Hay's overall goal is to constantly keep things fresh for everyone in order to alleviate any chance of routine or boredom. At the center itself,Hay organizes plenty of enjoyable activities that foster mental stimulation. In addition to handson arts and crafts,many other cognitive activities are offered including basic sewing and playing word games such as Scrabble,Pictionary,charades,and other trivia games.A variety of fun musical activities draws just about everyone- karaoke is very popular,as well as a"NameThat Tune"type of game and hands-on playing of musical instruments.The center has five types of puzzles of varying challenge levels, each of which focuses on a different cognitive skill such as shape recognition, sequence matching,and tactile puzzles for those with vision impairments. "We see the improvements in people who participate in these activities,"Hay said."They have more awareness,and even when people are a bit subdued and quiet, they become more outgoing and aware as they start participating in different activities." The center also has a readers'group with both print books and books on tape. This cozy activity gathers everyone in the living room where they can all take part in a discussion after reading or listening to the selected book.Listening skills are improved, as well as thinking enhancement and understanding others' ideas during the intellectual discussions.Aside from the reading group, there are discussions on medical developments,current events, and there's even a joke of the day to start everyone off with a smile. "We also have special services like a massage therapist,podiatrist,and a salon with a beautician and barber who come in on a regular basis,"Pechilio said. Every other week, the center gets a visit from two favorite guests:Honey and Bunny,aYorkshire terrier and singing Chihuahua. These two certified pet therapy dogs not only entertain everyone,but they also love spending a little"petting time" with each person.Hays said that even quieter participants brighten up when these two little dogs come to visit. "The social aspect makes a big difference," Hay said."Everyone is sweet, loving and caring.They become extended family to each other,which is especially important for those who have no family left in the area.They even hug each other goodbye at the end of the day." The center even runs holiday parties, birthday parties and themed seasonal parties. Kids from a local children's day-care center are invited to attend the Halloween party,making it a wonderfully enjoyable intergenerational event. InAugust the center had a Hawaiian luau,and other parties are still to come. "We get lots of positive feedback from clients and other peer organizations,"said Pechilio."Even people who are withdrawn will open up after two weeks of getting to know other people and taking part in our activities. It's so heartwarming and amazing to me.They become more confident in their social skills, they have something to look forward to,and depression along with other issues and illnesses tend to decrease. It's particularly good for people with dementia because it gives structure to their day,which they can't accomplish on their own." Adult Day Services is located at 225 North Center Drive in North Brunswick. You can find out more at theWeb site, www.AdultDayServicesInc.com or by calling (732) 951-2020.