Month: August 2012

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About AGE’s Adult Day Centers

The Austin location is located in Central Austin at the Historic AGE building (map and directions).

In Williamson County, we are conveniently located off of Round Rock West Drive in Round Rock (map and directions).

Each location is open Monday-Friday from 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., and provides nursing services, therapeutic activities, and meals, delivered by fully trained and certified staff. 

• Nursing Services
• Activities
• Meals
• Staffing
• Transportation
• Rehabilitation
• Enrollment
• Tips for the first day

Nursing Services
The care team (click here for adult day center staff ) at each location includes a full-time licensed vocational nurse (LVN), certified nurse aides, a licensed activity director, and program aides. The care and services they provide are enhanced by clinical supervision from a registered nurse (RN) and a dietary consultant. In addition, AGE staff communicates regularly with family members, physicians, and therapists, to ensure coordinated care for an older loved one. We are trained to care for adults with such health conditions as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, diabetes, stroke, and more.

Before a client is admitted to our program, our nurse completes a full medical assessment to ensure that we can meet the client’s needs. Once admitted to the program, each client then receives a monthly checkup from our nurse. In addition, the nurse can, with doctors’ orders, can administer medications, monitor blood sugar level, provide wound care, and more. Learn more about who would benefit from our program.

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Activities

Therapeutic activities are the core of our specialized program. Each activity is designed to promote connectedness, competence, belonging, optimal functioning, and an improved quality of life.

The monthly calendar includes activities like walking, yoga, gardening, games, parties, field trips, music and art therapy, reminiscence discussions, and brain fitness games. Some are conducted in small groups, to encourage social interaction with peers, while others are one-on-one, with either a staff member or a volunteer drawing on a client’s special talent or pursuing a favorite pastime, all in a comfortable, home-like setting. By making new friends and connecting with their peers, clients find comfort and support in their new community.

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Meals
Each day, we serve a hot, nutritious lunch and two snacks. This therapeutic food program is monitored by a licensed dietician to ensure the best nutritional value for older adults. Some special needs, including diabetic diets, can be accommodated.

No person shall on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, or income status be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination or retaliation under any federally or non-federally funded program or activity administered by AGE of Central Texas. 

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Staffing
All adult day care centers operate under a state mandated staffing ratio, which describes the number of clients that may be present at the center for every one staff member working. AGE of Central Texas Adult Day Centers operate with an 8-to-1 care ratio; that is, one staff member is available for every 8 clients that are present.

Well-trained and supervised volunteers and interns from the community and local universities also share their talents and experience the joy of caring for elders.

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Transportation
For those who need it, several transportation options are available to members attending AGE of Central Texas Adult Day Centers. All members are signed in and out of the facility to ensure added security.

1. AGE provides door-to-door round-trips from members’ homes to our centers, at no charge. Availability is based on the location of the client’s home in relation to our routes and the space available in our vans. Please contact our staff to see if transportation is available in your area.
2. The Capital Metro ACCESS program provides door-to-door round-trips for older adults and people with disabilities within the Austin city limits. Please visit the Capital Metro (link) to learn more about this program: http://www.capmetro.org/riding/MetroAccess.asp
3. Demand Response Bus Service (hyperlink: http://www.roundrocktexas.gov/home/index.asp?page=1867) is a curb-to-curb public transportation option within Round Rock. Reduced fares are available for those 60 or older or with a temporary or permanent disability. For more information, please call (512) 244-RIDE (7433).
4. CARTS (hyperlink: www.ridecarts.com) Community Transit services provides transportation for persons living in the counties of Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, and non-urbanized areas of Travis and Williamson. For more information, please call 1-800-456-RIDE (7433).

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Rehabilitation
In addition to our in-house staff, our sites can accommodate formal therapy sessions with outside providers of physical, occupational, and speech therapies. This convenience means that our members can receive personalized care ordered by their physician while continuing to enjoy meals and activities with friends and peers. Please contact our center staff if your loved one requires a specialized doctor-ordered therapy.

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Enrollment and Admission
Follow these simple steps to explore the possibility of enrolling your loved one in AGE’s adult day health center:

• Call the center most convenient to you to schedule an initial tour:
  • Austin: (512) 458-6305
  • Round Rock: (512) 255-4865
• If your loved one has not personally visited the center, schedule an appointment for them to be assessed by our nurse.
• After the nursing assessment is completed, have your loved one’s doctor complete and sign the medical history and assessment form.
• Arrange for a start date with the program director.

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When you visit any adult day health center, consider these points:

• Who owns or sponsors the adult day care center?
• How long has it been operating?
• Is it licensed or otherwise accredited?
• What are the days and hours of operation?
• Is transportation to and from the adult day care center provided?
• Which conditions are accepted (e.g., memory loss, limited mobility, incontinence)?
• What are the staff’s credentials, and what is the ratio of staff to participants?
• What activities are offered? Are there a variety of individual and group programs?
• Are meals and snacks included? Are special diets accommodated?
• Is there a manager or supervisor on staff at all times?
• What special training does the staff receive to work with special needs such as dementia?
• Are there a minimum number of days per week, or hours per day?
• What does the center require for admission to the care program?
• Can the care center accommodate participants with special needs?
• Is there written documentation to instruct staff how to handle emergencies?
• How much does adult day care cost?
• Do I have to pay for this or is some of it covered elsewhere?

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Tips for the First Day

• Work with the adult day health center staff to develop a “role” for your loved one, possibly as a “volunteer” or member of a social club.
• Give your loved one a reason to attend. Tell them the doctor recommended it, or ask them to do it as a favor to you.
• Do not talk about attending the adult day center until the first day. Planning ahead may make your loved one more anxious.
• Do not ask your loved one if they want to attend or not. Tell them that you are bringing them to the adult day center to try it out. Be as matter of fact as possible.
• Avoid cajoling or arguing with your loved one, as this will increase both the stress level for you and your loved one.
• ALWAYS plan to make the most of your respite time! Have a realistic expectation of what can be accomplished during your time “off” while your loved one is at the adult day health center. Plan your time wisely and give yourself a moment to breathe! Take time for yourself to do something you enjoy or that benefits you.
• Remember, the adult day center staff is here to support you and your loved one through this transition. We are a team of experienced professionals with decades of experience serving seniors and their families. We are eager to help out!

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Benefits of adult day for caregivers

Keeping an elderly loved one at home for as long as possible is a goal that many families share.  Caregiving, though, can be physically and emotionally exhausting.  According to recent research:

 

• Twenty-three percent of family caregivers caring for loved ones for five years or more report their health is fair or poor (Caregiving in the United States; National Alliance for Caregiving in collaboration with AARP; November 2009)
• A caregiver’s immune system weakens, thus increasing their chances of developing a chronic illness themselves (Drs. Janice-Kiecolt Glaser and Ronald Glaser, “Chronic stress and age-related increases in the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6” in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, June 30, 2003)
• Twenty percent of employed female caregivers over 50 years old report symptoms of depression compared to 8 percent of their non-caregiving peers (MetLife Study of Working Caregivers and Employer Health Costs; National Alliance for Caregiving and MetLife Mature Market Institute. February 2010)
• The stress of caregiving can prematurely age a caregiver and take as many as 10 years off a family caregiver’s life (Elissa S. Epel, Dept of Psychiatry, Univ of Calif, SF, et al; From the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dec 7, 2004, Vol 101, No. 49)

Using adult day health care allows caregivers to maintain their own health and balance their own responsibilities while honoring the senior’s wish to live at home for as long as possible.  With a highly trained medical and professional team attuned to clients’ health and wellness, caregivers are able to continue working, take a well-deserved break, attend to other responsibilities, and maintain their own physical and emotional health.

Listen to members and family caregivers from AGE’s Adult Day Health Center:

94% Strongly Agree that:  “As caregiver, I feel less stressed when my family member/client is at the Adult Day Health Center.”

97% Caregivers Surveyed Agree or Strongly agreed:  “As a caregiver, their life is more manageable since their family member began attending the AGE Adult Day Centers.”

100% Agree or Strongly Agree that: “I am pleased with the services the AGE Adult Day Centers provide.”

97% Agree or Strongly Agree that: “Their family member benefits from the daily exercise and activities.”
 
For more information on these programs visit the links or call 512-451-4611.

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Benefits of adult day care for our clients

Adult day provides a bridge of care for older adults transitioning from full independence to higher levels of care.

Research shows that for participants, adult day care may:

• Stabilize medical conditions and reduce hospitalizations
• Prevent secondary disabilities that result from excessive bed rest or inactivity
• Lead to improved ability to perform daily activities
• Increase self-esteem and dignity
• Improve, stabilize or retard the deterioration of cognitive functioning
• Increase verbal ability and mobility
• Elevate mood and improve behaviors
• Improve nutrition
• Lessen the impact of acute medical changes through monitoring and rapid intervention
• Provide opportunities for friendship and decrease the harmful effects of isolation and loneliness
• Be something to look forward to
• Foster a sense of belonging
• Create a feeling of belonging to a community

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Who Attends?

Adult day health care centers care for older adults with a variety of health needs who cannot be alone because of memory loss, social isolation, illness, or disability.  AGE of Central Texas staff have all received specialized training in caring for those with memory loss.   

We invite you to see our programs in action!  For a private tour in Austin contact Program Director, Stephanie Hoffman at shoffman@ageofcentraltx.org or at 512. 458.6305. For Round Rock contact Program Director, Melissa Brower at mbrower@ageofcentraltx.org or 512. 255.4865 .

Join us to learn more about AGE services at our monthly Get Acquainted with AGE tour on the 2nd Tuesday of the month in Austin or our month Adult Day Care 101 tour in Round Rock – see our calendar of events and RSVP.

Find out more about the program, costs and enrollment procedures. Learn about a day at AGE of Central Texas Adult Day Health Centers.

 

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Costs and Financial Aid

Adult day care is one of the most affordable long-term care options for older adults with chronic illness or other physical and cognitive needs (see our Cost Comparison chart below). AGE’s Adult Day Health Centers accept payment from Texas Medicaid (through DADS, Amerigroup, and United Healthcare Community Plan), Veteran’s Administration benefits, and long-term care insurance. Members who qualify under these programs attend without paying any out-of pocket funds.

The private pay rate at AGE of $65 per day includes all nursing care, personal care, meals and snacks, activities, field trips, and more. If you are concerned about funding your loved one’s attendance, please contact us for assistance in identifying appropriate funding options.

 

Cost Comparison:

According to the Genworth Cost of Care Survey, which has been the foundation for long-term care planning since 2004, adult day health care is the most affordable senior care option for older adults with chronic health needs.  For the Austin-area alone, the adult day health care is less than one-third of the cost of private in-home care, and approximately 25% of the costs for assisted living or skilled nursing facilities.

 

According to the Texas Adult Day Health Association:

  National cost comparison of full-time enrollment in various long-term care programs, per year.

 

AGE’s daily cost of $65, which is $5/day less than the national average, includes up to 10 hours of supervised care in a safe environment, nutritious meals, medication monitoring, engaging activities, and transportation on a space-available basis.

Cost Comparison Chart for Local Services

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Licensing & Safety

In Texas, adult day health care is licensed and monitored by the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS).  Regular inspections ensure that facilities provide excellent care for older adults and people with disabilities. To learn more about license requirements please visit this website: http://www.dads.state.tx.us/providers/ADC/howto.html#licensing

AGE of Central Texas Adult Day Health Centers adhere to the highest safety and care standards. Our license numbers are:

Austin:  DADS license #135677
Round Rock:  DADS license #139287

In 2011, each AGE site received a 100% score during our Annual Department of Aging and Disability Services contract monitoring.   These were 2 of only 3 100% scores given in the entire state of Texas in that year!