Adult day care allows families to enjoy quality time together, while still ensuring that your elderly family members get the care they need. It is a step between full-time home care and placing your loved one in an assisted living community. The service allows families the peace of mind of knowing their loved one is well attended while they continue with their regular professional obligations. If you are looking for an adult day care center, or you are thinking of incorporating one into your current assisted living facility, here is a list of services that clients and customers will expect to find.

THE SERVICES OF AN ADULT DAY CARE FACILITY

With this, or any business, it’s important to have a focus on security, well-being, and convenience for your customers and clients. A courteous, knowledgeable, and professional staff is fundamental to the needs of any business. Senior care facilities always find the greatest level of sustained success when they are cognizant of the concerns and expectations of the families they serve. The more individuals can see that you are making a strong, positive contribution to the community, the more your business will flourish. There are many services you can implement in a senior care facility. Certain care expectations are fundamental to client health and cannot be overlooked, but there are other, optional amenities that you might implement to make your business more attractive than those of your competitors. Here is a starting list of the services you should offer.

Essential Living Assistance

Many seniors need help with things such as eating, walking, and using the restroom. It is imperative that your employees are well versed in first aid and are up to date in their training for specific emergency services that are likely to be needed with the elderly. Living assistance also entails keeping track and administering medications. It’s important to maintain an accurate schedule and always ensure good communication with the families to ensure there is no accidental overlap of medication.

Podiatry Care

Podiatry care represents highly effective, specialized care that can prevent the development of serious health issues. Keeping feet clean and moisturized helps maintain good health. It’s also important to trim nails so that the people in your care can engage in exercise without any pain or discomfort. The feet are often overlooked in-home care, and they can often show the first signs of other developing health concerns. Circulation issues can also be addressed with the feet, and the importance of comfortable footwear should never be disregarded.

Meal Preparation

One of the most important aspects of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the adoption of a highly nutritious diet. Dietary concerns are a strong consideration for the elderly, and allergies, taste preferences, and other considerations need to be taken into account when you’re preparing a weekly menu. Many senior citizens have trouble with tough food or nuts because of dental issues, and it’s important to offer a varied menu. A nutritious diet helps stave off illness and can assist in the overall health of your clients. There also needs to be a lot of coordination with families to ensure you have all the information you need to provide the best service possible. A regular selection of healthy snacks is also strongly advised as it allows everyone, including the staff, to keep their energy levels up as well as their positive energy.

Health Monitoring

As part of a basic service, all adult day care centers need to engage in regular health monitoring. Basic data collection such as weight and blood pressure can help you stay alert for warning signs that illnesses or other problems might be in their early stages. The more attentive you are to health developments, and the earlier you can diagnose the problem and start a treatment plan, the better positioned you are to ensure the continued health of your clients.

Counseling

Many senior citizens are at a stage in their life where they regularly experience great loss. Some are processing the passing of friends, family, or loved ones, and counseling services are a great resource to help them deal with these transitions. There is a strong relationship between mental and physical health, and untreated depression, even when there aren’t outward signs, can lead to a rapid physical decline. Counseling services should be available that allow your clients to identify and address a variety of concerns.

Exercise

Exercise is one of the best ways to promote health and happiness, and exercise also offers an opportunity to build a community within your adult day care center. Many senior citizens are unaware of what they are capable of, and everything from light activity, to moderate team sports should be available. Exercise encourages blood flow and helps stimulate an overall positive sense of well-being. Friendly tournaments give your clients something to look forward to. Always design your exercise programs with safety as the highest priority, but give your clients enough leeway to lose themselves in the activity. Even something as simple as a group walk can imbue a sense of satisfaction that will leave your client glowing with contentment even as he or she is picked up and taken home in the evening.

Therapy

The recovery and maintenance of meaningful activities are vital to the quality of life of senior citizens. Physical, occupation, and speech therapy help to provide the most practical benefit during the time the elderly spend in your care. These sessions can be offered individually, or with the option of group sessions that can further build and strengthen the community within your center.

Social Activities

Activities that help encourage socialization are always extremely popular within senior centers. Socially focused activities like gameplay, educational classes, or improvisational theater, can bring out aspects of the personalities of your clients and allow them to view your facility as a second home. The social element of every activity, from lunch to exercise, should always be emphasized. Caregiving always extends beyond meeting the physical needs of your clients. Helping to attend and manage the emotional component of all the people within your care is the best way to ensure health, happiness, and satisfaction.

Transportation Services

Providing transportation is a tremendous service that greatly assists the lives of your care families. Remember that the families of your clients always feel the common stresses of both professional and personal obligations. The more you can show that you understand their needs, the more confidence they will have that you can also attend to the needs of seniors. This will provide them with tremendous peace of mind. Safe transportation to and from the family household is a great way to make your client’s lives easier and more convenient.

ALWAYS INCORPORATE NEW SERVICES

It has been said that variety is the spice of life, and that is why it’s important to always be on the lookout for new and innovative ways to attend to your clients. While it is also important to maintain a regular routine, you should have a focus on regularly adding new activities and services within the framework of that routine to maintain interest and enthusiasm. Always listen to the needs of your customers and let them guide you in the application of new care ideas. If you’d like more ideas for activities to offer in an adult day care center, call Innovation Senior Living at 1-800-425-9914 to explore how we can work together.