In 1998, Don Williams accepted the heart-breaking inevitable: He needed help caring for his beloved wife afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. Donna Bennett, a registered nurse, had just accepted the director's position for the Pontotoc County Adult Day Care Center in Ada. Williams, a retired veterinarian and Bennett struck a deal: He would serve on the center's board of directors and Bennett and her staff would rejuvenate the center, as well as take tender, loving care of his wife. At the time, usually only five people attended the center regularly.
Today, 16 adults ages 24 through 103, most with dementia, attend the home-like center, complete with recliners, afghans and family photos. The eight staff members provide support from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. while the families and caregivers work.
Services include meals, health monitoring and supervision by licensed nurses, socialization and recreational activities, as well as counseling services for caregivers. The staff also offers love, attention, safety and respect. Harold Jones enjoys the daily walks and conversation.
"We offer help in an adult, dignified way, with lots of respect and flexibility," said Bennett.
With Williams' and other community members' support, the center hopes to expand to serve more Oklahomans.
"Adult day care does a tremendous service to the community, the family and the individual," said Williams.
Oklahoma introduced day services for older Oklahomans in 1983 and this community-based program has grown dramatically. Designed to help adults remain as independent as possible, the Adult Day Services program now includes nearly 40 centers statewide.
Initially known as the Geriatric Day Care Program, the program was designed to serve Oklahomans age 60 and older. Through the years, as resources became available, many centers also began serving younger adults with mental, developmental and physical disabilities. With recent changes in the ADvantage Waiver program and waivers operated by the Developmental Disabilities Services Division, OKDHS anticipates that more adults with development disabilities will access the program.
Three criteria determine eligibility: need, age and income. Additionally, services allow the caregiver to continue employment or experience respite, or services provide beneficial socialization and access to required therapy for the participant.
The goals of the Adult Day Services Program are to promote independence; maintain the individual's present level of functioning as long as possible, preventing or delaying further deterioration; restore and rehabilitate the individual's highest level of function; provide support, respite and education for families and caregivers; encourage socialization and peer interaction and serve as an integral part of the community services network and the long-term continuum.
OKDHS Aging Services Division staff develop policy, provide technical assistance to communities, organizations and individuals interested in developing adult day centers, provide training and guidance, develop contracts, perform site evaluations to assure quality of services and monitor and evaluate facilities of contracting programs.
- More than 599,000 Oklahomans are age 60 or older
- Older Oklahomans comprise 17.4 percent of the state's population
- 669 Oklahomans received Adult Day Services in fiscal year 2005