Caregiving has become a key role for millions of families throughout the United States — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 50% of the U.S. population suffers from at least one chronic condition, including heart disease, cancer, Type 2 Diabetes, stroke, chronic lung disease and Alzheimer's.
Who is taking care of this populace on a daily basis? The Caregiver, of course! The difficulty sets in when a family member now has the task of being the caregiver and is trying to juggle the care, while maintaining a healthy life balance—all of which can become overwhelming, challenging and quite exhausting. This dilemma is real and has become a genuine concern not just for the caregiver, but the employers who employs these caregivers.
Adult Day Care Centers can provide a solution to the challenges of caregiving. It can be a fantastic option for families who find themselves in the caregiving role.
Adult Day Care Benefits for the Caregiver:
- Opportunity for rest and an emotional break, preventing caregiver burnout
- Provides a financial reprieve—private help is generally self pay and can get quite costly
- Provides peace of mind, reduces anxiety for the caregiver knowing that their loved one is being properly cared for
Adult Day Care Benefits for the Older Adult:
- Keeps the individual interested, helping to improve cognitive function
- Improves their physical abilities by participating in activities
- Prevents isolation by keeping them socially engaged
- Establishes a schedule/routine and enables the feeling of independence
Adult day care centers provides care to people of all conditions, whether physical or cognitively. The programs are generally comprehensive in nature—providing art and music classes, games, storytelling, daily topics and discussions. The daily care that is needed will be provided by these centers, helping to give back the caregiver's quality of life. In addition, most have transportation if the caregiver is unable to drive their loved one back and forth to the center. Food is provided as part of the program. If your loved one has special needs for eating — utensils, tableware, drinking apparatuses, you can supply these centers with the necessary tools to make your loved one's daily stay pleasurable and hopefully stress-free.
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