Caring for an older parent or relative can be a challenge. One of those challenges is balancing the demands of daily life — work, travel, errands, and so on — with the desire to make sure that your parent or relative is receiving the best care possible. When these two needs conflict, what are your options?

One option is an adult day care, or respite care, service. There are a number of agencies and assisted living communities in Kitsap County that offer either in-home or offsite respite care options.

Many assisted living communities, such as Merrill Gardens at Shoreline View in Gig Harbor, Harbor House at Liberty Shores, and Bay Pointe Retirement Community in Bremerton, offer short-term respite care for non-residents, generally on hourly and/or daily basis. Arrangements for this type of short-term respite care must be made in advance, and may be limited based on space and availability.

Merrill Gardens and Harbor House both specialize in the care of seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s or other dementia ailments and so their day care services are designed for individuals with memory care needs. Bay Pointe offers care for both memory care individuals, at its Marine Courte building, as well for individuals without memory impairment at the main Bay Pointe building.

There are other options in addition to respite care at residential facilities. Green Mountain Center of EADS in Bremerton, for example, is a private, non-profit organization that offers daytime programs for seniors. The center defines itself as an “adult day health center” rather than simply a “adult day care center,” as it is equipped to handle health monitoring and maintenance for program participants.

“We always have a nurse here during hours of operation,” said Susie Harris-Roggeveen, the center’s director. The center also has an occupational therapist who comes in regularly to work with center participants, as necessary, as well as staff who help set participants up with Kitsap Transit’s Access service, so that family members don’t have to worry about transporting participants back and forth.
The center offers a monthly calendar of activities that participants can choose from, and a meal is always served. The center accepts private health insurance, VA, and private pay. Although the center is not a memory-care facility Harris-Roggeveen noted that some of the participants do have some form of dementia.
Harris-Roggeveen emphasized that Green Mountain Center of EADS is not a drop-in facility. Participants are pre-scheduled for the days they spend time at the center, although that scheduling is relatively flexible.
“Some people come five times a day, some people come once a week,” she said.
In-home respite care is another option available to Kitsap County residents. Abiding Home Care of Silverdale is one of the county’s non-medical home care agencies that offers respite care options in addition to its regular, ongoing home care services. Respite care can be provided from a two-hour minimum up to 24 hours. The agency does require an initial visit to set up a health care plan, at no charge, and then respite care services would normally be available on relatively short notice.
Note that while some long-term insurance policies will cover residence in an assisted living facility and others will reimburse policy holders for the cost of regular, in-home care, you should be sure to check with your insurance company before making any assumptions about your own coverage.