September 16, 2009
Wednesday

Dear Editor,

Adult Day Services week is celebrated September 21-25th by centers like Rendezvous Senior Day Services across the nation. Alaska has 12 adult day programs across the state, two in Southeast Alaska. Rendezvous Senior Day Services currently has an adult day program, among other programs which support our community.

I'd like to highlight what adult day programs can do for seniors and their family caregivers. Adult day service centers provide relief for working caregivers or family caregivers who have a senior or adult with a cognitive or physical impairment. Caregivers can enroll their senior or adult in an adult day program, so they may continue to work or take respite.

Rendezvous Adult Day offers a program of professional and compassionate services for adults in our center-based group setting. Services are designed to provide social and some health services to adults who need supervised care in a safe place outside the home during the day. We also afford caregivers respite from the demanding responsibilities of care giving. The adult day center operates during normal business hours five days a week.

Our services include:

Social activities-interaction with other participants in planned activities appropriate for their conditions

Coordinated Transportation-door-to-door service

Meals and snacks-participants are provided with meals and snacks, those with special dietary needs are offered special meals

Personal care-help with toileting, grooming, eating and other personal activities of daily living

Therapeutic activities-exercise and mental interaction for all participants.

The National Adult Day Association cites the most recent nationwide survey of adult day centers has over 3,400 centers across the nation providing care for 150,000 care recipients each day. Also,

• There are a majority of adult day centers operated on a nonprofit or public basis and the minority operated is for profit. Ketchikan is included among the nonprofits.
• The majority of adult day centers are affiliated with much larger organizations such as home care, skilled nursing facilities, medical centers, or multi-purpose senior organizations. Rendezvous maintains itself as an independent 501C3 organization.
• The average age of the adult day care recipient is 72, and two-thirds of all adult day center care recipients are women.
• Thirty-five percent of the adult day center care recipients live with an adult child, 20% with a spouse, 18% in an institutional setting, and 13% with parents or other relatives, while 11% live alone.
• Fifty-two percent of the adult day center care recipients using adult day services centers nationwide have some cognitive impairment.
• Daily fees for adult day services vary depending upon the services provided. The national average rate for adult day centers is $61 per day (includes 8-10 hours on average) compared to an average rate for home health aides of $19 per hour (Alaska is higher).
• Funding for Rendezvous adult day services comes from State of Alaska, the City of Ketchikan and private sources, fees for service and third party payers.
• The average capacity of national adult day centers is 40, while Rendezvous is 20.
• The average adult day center care recipient to staff ratio is 6:1.

Join us for more information about the Rendezvous Senior Day Adult day program on September 25th during our Open House from 1:00-3:30 p.m. Ketchikan can be proud that Rendezvous has served the community for over 25 years through adult day, housing, medical equipment loan closet and thrift store.
Rendezvous is located at the 2441 First Avenue, corner of 1st and Jefferson. Call anytime 247-1961.
Sincerely,

Elena Rath
Executive Director
Rendezvous Senior Day Services
Ketchikan, AK

Received September 16, 2009 - Published September 16, 2009

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