Ms. P. was a member in the VNSNY CHOICE Managed Long Term Care Program (MLTC), for people that need help with day-to-day activities but want to remain in their homes. When someone joins VNSNY CHOICE (http://2012.vnsnychoice.org), a team of health professionals develop and coordinate a comprehensive plan of care. As part of Ms. P’s plan of care, her nurse referred her to the VNSNY CHOICE Adult Day Center for socialization, recreation therapy, supervision and personal care during the day. It was becoming increasingly challenging for Ms. P’s caregiver to care for her and her husband all by herself. The services provided by the MLTC, including the adult day center, gave her the support and assistance she needed to keep her loved ones at home.
Ms. P. attended the adult day center for over 3 years. Before she came to the center, she and her ill husband were home everyday, she was restless, and not socializing with others. Her dementia became more pronounced and it was getting more difficult for her caregiver to take care of her at home. She started attending the center once a week, and increased her attendance to 5 days a week.
When she first came to the center, she had difficulty participating in activities and expressing herself. She couldn’t play bingo because she had difficulty focusing, understanding the game and recognizing numbers. Over time, she learned how to play and recognized all the numbers.
As a result of participating in activities and being exposed to cognitive stimulation regularly at the day center, she became more alert and verbal, and started helping other seniors at the center. As she became more alert and her mood improved, it made it easier for her family to care for her at home. It was clear that socializing with peers at the center and participating in activities brought out the best in her, gave her the opportunity to connect with others and really improved quality of life for her and her caregiver. The day center gave the family respite during the day in order to care for Ms. P’s husband and manage household responsibilities.
This is a perfect example of how the VNSNY CHOICE Adult Day Center and VNSNY CHOICE MLTC both provide care to help people remain at home as long as possible. Ms. P’s caregiver often told us that being a member in both programs helped her safely manage caregiving responsibilities. This is truly a success story that demonstrates how this natural combination of resources helps to keep people living well at home.
