When is senior day care an option to consider? Seniors might need the activity and social level not available at home. On the other side, caregivers are certainly entitled to take time to care for their own needs, such as getting a haircut, paying bills, attending a school concert, or even taking a vacation.

Looking under “Day Care – Adult” in the yellow pages, one finds a variety of programs in the local area.

Krista Marti, administrator of Bay Pointe Retirement Community, cautions caregivers about burnout, and urges them to get the respite care they need.

Day care can be something the patient looks forward to, as well, with a variety of things to do there. If caregivers are employed elsewhere, it may be a five-day-a-week situation. Others might go one to five times weekly.

Marti indicates that they will assess the patient, including their history, likes, dislikes and nursing needs, then create an individual service and care plan.

Additionally, Bay Pointe offers respite service for a single night, weekend, or even up to a 30-day extended vacation. Marti also shares that some families might even use the opportunity to “test out” a community for future placement.

Lutheran Community Services conducts a social model of day care on Tuesdays at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Bremerton, and Thursdays at the Silverdale Lutheran Church. The program runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and includes lunch. Optional activities are crafts, music, bingo and other games. Several volunteers and a staff member conduct this program to give the elderly a safe place for time away from the home setting. Registration requires a home assessment, and transportation is not included in the fee.

Julie Gulas, director at Green Mountain Center, says of their adult day care, “What we do is improve or maintain their current level of functioning.” Staffing includes nursing, an activity coordinator, master social worker and occupational therapist. Folks currently enrolled range in age from 18 to 93, and the program runs from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Green Mountain Center also has a day care option for younger adults who are developmentally disabled, and Gulas says the participants of both programs occasionally interact, which is a positive experience for all of them, with various participants proudly giving help one to another.

Folks in the Green Mountain adult day care are helped with fitness and exercise programs, and other fun options. It is important, explains Gulas, an RN, for them to regain or maintain the strength to participate in their own transfers to the toilet or tub, for example, and such exercise programs can aid in that area.

People in adult day care usually enjoy the companionship and having an opportunity to compare notes with others in similar circumstances.