Specialized Adult Day Service Centers
Over 60,000 families in Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties are living with the progressive medical, cognitive, emotional and financial challenges of Alzheimer's disease. Less than half of these families are ever formally diagnosed, and therefore they do not receive or have access to care that is specifically tailored to their needs. And the cost of comprehensive care can be prohibitive, along with emotionally overwhelming. That's where we come in.
Alzheimer’s Community Care operates ten Specialized Adult Day Service Centers with locations throughout Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties. All Alzheimer’s Community Care Specialized Adult Day Service Centers are licensed by the State of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration. We provide dementia-specific care for the person and his or her family caregivers. Our program includes not just day centers, but also vital on-going education and support for families who are caring for their loved one at home.
We offer a safe, compassionate and dignified option for families who want to delay or avoid nursing home placement.
Day Service Center Mission:
To promote and provide dementia-specific adult day health services that combine therapeutic and recreational activities with medical and behavior management techniques to decrease the stress and symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia. These aspects work in combination to allow the patient and family to live safely at home with a quality of life promoting dignity for as long as possible.
Unlike traditional adult day care programs, Alzheimer’s Community Care’s Specialized Adult Day Service Centers are solely committed to providing dementia- specific services to men and women 18 years of age and older who suffer from a progressive memory loss. The Centers incorporate dementia- specific standards of care through a wide range of services such as ongoing clinical intervention and health management by a Florida licensed nurse as well as therapeutic activities that provide physical, cognitive and social stimulation in a safe and supportive environment.
Our multidisciplinary team of professionals work together to identify, develop and implement an individualized plan of care to meet the needs of each patient enrolled in the Adult Day Service Centers.
At Alzheimer’s Community Care, we understand that the physical, financial and emotional burden of caring for a patient with Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder can be overwhelming. Our statistical information and caregiver survey confirm what we have known for well over a decade; through participation in the Specialized Alzheimer’s Adult Day Service Centers, coupled with Alzheimer’s Community Care’s other services and resources, Alzheimer’s Community Care can significantly improve and preserve the quality of life for both patients and caregivers.
Individualized Care Plans
Each patient has an individualized care plan that documents strengths and needs. This personal care plan includes assessments of activties of daily living (ADLs), need for assistant devices, medications, other health conditions, hearing, eyesight, speech, toileting schedule, dietary needs, anxiety levels and socialization.
Therapies Available
Physical and occupational therapy, and other care needs such as podiatry, are arranged for your loved one at the center he or she attends. Speech therapists regularly work with many of our patients who have challenges in swallowing. We link patients and families to additional community medical resources for physical and neurological examination and ongoing care.
Physician Communication
Each quarter, our nurses provide a health status report to your loved one's physician. Our nurses have the advantage of daily interaction with patients, whereas a physician may see a patient only every few months.
Our Staff: Compassionate and Capable
Our program nurses and staff are dementia-care specialists, with ongoing training in Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. We maintain a staff to patient ratio of one to five to ensure each patient receives the individualized care needed. Program nurses are on duty at all times to monitor patient nutrition and hydration, administer medications, evaluate health status, respond to medical needs and ensure that patients are involved in care to their maximum benefit every day.
Paying for Day Services
About 40% of our families are able to pay for Specialized Adult Day Services privately. We help many others access financial help through Medicaid, Alzheimer's Disease Initiative funds, and Older Americans Act funding. This access opens the door for families to receive other needed services for loved ones, including diagnosis, general medical care, medical specializes, food stamps, home health assistance, incontinence supplies and free or reduced price medications.
Hours of Operation
Our Day Centers are open Monday through Friday, generally from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (hours vary slightly by location), for a total of 254 days a year.
For more information on these and other services, email us here.