Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 28, 1991 TAG: 9103290277
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
For Bradbury, the solution was the Adult Care Center of Roanoke Valley.
On a recent Friday morning, Bradbury was at the Adult Care Center's Salem location. About a dozen older adults were seated around a piano as a staff member led a sing-along of "Amazing Grace."
"I love it here," says Bradbury, who lives on Melrose Avenue. "I love to be with the people, talk to them and play music."
It's an arrangement that also satisfies her family, which consists of a nephew and his wife.
"Both her care-givers work full time, and they're a little afraid she might fall while she's alone, or that she might not eat right," says Betty Burris, executive director of the Adult Care Center.
As more and more families seek solutions to the problem of caring for older relatives, the Adult Care Center is seeking ways to expand its services.
Adult Care Center of Roanoke Valley Inc. was founded in 1983 to provide day care for the frail elderly. The private non-profit corporation is run by a board of directors.
The first Adult Care Center was in the Salvation Army facility on Dale Avenue Southeast. The program moved to 2707 Williamson Road in March 1987. A second center was opened at 424 Chamberlain Lane in Salem later that year.
Each center serves 25-30 adults a day. Most of them - perhaps 70 percent - suffer from chronic confusion and forgetfulness as a result of Alzheimer's disease or a similar disorder. Nearly all have a "dual diagnosis," such as Alzheimer's combined with diabetes, or a stroke combined with crippling arthritis.
Left alone, many would forget to eat or take medicine. At the Adult Care Center, they receive medication according to doctor's orders. A hot lunch and snacks are provided every day, and a staff nurse monitors health conditions.
In addition to physical care, participants get a lot of mental stimulation. Sing-alongs, crafts, field trips, games, gardening and visits from children help participants maintain awareness and alertness.
Care is available at both locations 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Williamson Road center is open Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
After hours, Adult Care Center provides the setting for care-giver support groups. "The total family unit needs help and support," Burris says. "We don't see the participant as an isolated entity."
Bill Vassallo and his wife, Shirley, are a typical Adult Care Center family. Shirley Vassallo started developing Alzheimer's disease about five years ago. Bill Vassallo has been bringing her to Adult Care Center since 1988.
"The care for these people is so intensive, you simply can't get many [other] things done," says Vassallo, a retired engineer who lives in Salem. "[Adult care] just frees you up to do the things you'd like to do. It allows you to lead more of a normal life."
Shirley Vassallo probably will need nursing-home care eventually, Vassallo says. But for now, day care is allowing him to put off that decision.
"For some people, day care is an alternative to nursing-home placement," Burris says. For others, day care can delay entry into a nursing home. The decision on when to enter nursing care often depends on the family's ability to take care of the elderly or sick relative, she says.
For many families, the high cost of nursing-home care - approximately $25,000 a year - is another factor in the decision.
The Adult Care Center charges $25 a day. Transportation in the center's van is $2 per trip. A limited amount of financial aid is available.
Fees cover only a part of operating costs. Adult Care Center relies heavily on subsidies from Medicaid and departments of social services. It also receives contributions from the United Way and individual donors.
The annual Granny's Attic Sale fund-raiser is organized by the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke. The Kiwanis Club and the League of Older Americans helped start the Adult Care Center and still provide support.
Since it began, the center has served more than 300 families. In the past year, demand for services has exceeded the capacity of the two facilities. In response, the Adult Care Center is looking for ways to extend its services.
The center is planning to open a third location on the campus of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem. The facility will be the first in Virginia to offer intergenerational day care, combining elderly care and child care.
Adult Care Center also has proposed an intergenerational day care program at Virginia Western Community College. The program would train students in the care-giving professions and serve as a pilot for similar programs at community colleges around the state. However, planning has been put on hold because of state budget limitations.
Plans are proceeding for an overnight respite care program, which would serve families in need of a short vacation from care-giving. Adult Care Center also is considering offering evening hours several nights a week, Burris said.
The core of the program, however, will remain day care - a service that many participants look forward to.
"For a lot of the folks that come here, this is a kind of a club," says Beth Mabry, respite coordinator. "After folks have been here a few times, they feel very at home."
The day she was interviewed, Pat Bradbury had just returned to adult care after spending several weeks in the hospital.
Betty Burris leaned over to give her a hug. "It sure is good to have you back," Burris told her. "We missed you."
"I missed being here," Bradbury said. "I just got out of the hospital yesterday, and here I am today." E2 E1 CARE Care
by CNB