Adult Day Health Care

Our registered nurses are experienced, acute care nurses who are certified in CPR and first aid. They oversee and personally provide the daily care participants in our adult day health care centers need, including:

• Nursing assessments of physical and mental status
• Overseeing the development and updating of each participant’ss care plan
• Providing physician ordered treatments, including:
  • Skin care
  • Wound care
  • Dressing changes, simple and complex
  • Tube feedings
  • Catheter care
  • Colostomy care
  • Oxygen therapy
• Managing diabetes and other chronic conditions
• Arranging on-site as well as outside medical services, as needed
• Overseeing Medication Management (see details below)
• Serving as medical advocate for each participant
• Providing hands-on assistance with activities of daily living which include
  • Toilet Assistance
  • Ambulation
  • Assistance with eating
  • Helping participants to engage in Center activities

Our registered nurses ensure participants receive all ordered medications including:

• B12 injections, insulin injections, eye drops and respiratory treatments
• Monitor each participant to observe the medication’s effects
• Consult with the paticipants’ physician, as needed, for any questions, concerns, observations
• If requested, prepare and send home with participants any overnight/weekend medications needed

Participants who require extra help with using the toilet are assisted by our specially trained nursing staff who use

• Frequent, discreet reminders
• Toilet help and personal care
• Assistance undressing and re-dressing
• Catheter and colostomy care
• Mobility assistance using our state-of-the art SARA Lift, which helps with standing, sitting and mobility, ensuring we provide the maximum safety, comfort and privacy.

Our Social Workers are advocates who meet with participants and their families to understand their needs and wishes and offer guidance and caregiver support. As members of the interdisciplinary care plan team, they ensure participant needs and concerns are addressed in the individual’s care plan. Our Social Workers also provide case management services for those who have no other case manager, offer individual counseling and coordinate services by a mental health counselor. The Social Worker is readily available to families to assist with the challenges and concerns of being a caregiver for loved ones.

For participants who have no other case manager, our Social Worker provides case management services, overseeing the management of all aspects of the participants’ care and any other assistance needed.

To determine if the services of the Center may be of help to a prospective participant, our registered nurse will be happy to make a home visit (at no charge) to better assess participant need and caregiver wishes. This information becomes part of the medical and functional nursing assessment and is combined with the referral from the participant’s physician to help create the participant’s individual plan of care.

We assist family caregivers by also offering the following services to help them in their role of caring for their loved one:

• As an advocate for each participant and family, our social worker meets directly with them to help resolve any questions, needs or concerns
• Safe, handicapped accessible transportation to and from the Center
• Laboratory services – blood drawing on-site
• Personal care and hygiene, toileting, grooming, shaving, showering
• Free, monthly caregiver support groups (open to community)
  • Mansfield ADHC –4th Thursday of each month, 10 AM- 11:15AM.
  • Norwood ADHC –last Tuesday of each month, 10 AM – 11:45 AM.
  • Harmony ADHC – coming soon
• Prescription delivery
  • If requested, our nursing staff can arrange to have new or renewed prescriptions filled through a local pharmacy and delivered to the Centers for each participant.
• Unisex hair salon
  • At Mansfield and Norwood, each month, a professional hairdresser provides on-site haircuts, shampoos and styling for both men and women. Coming soon to Harmony.
• Norwood’s Old Country Store
  • At Norwood ADHC, a small, on-site gift shop called the Old Country Store carries necessities, small gifts and greeting cards. It’s open daily and run by the Center’s participants.

Our registered nurses work with our social worker and activities director to ensure a customized care plan is developed for each participant that has drawn input from the participant, their family caregivers and their physician.

Nutritionally balanced and therapeutic meals (breakfast, lunch and snacks) are provided daily in a friendly, social group setting, including:

• Regular and special needs diets
• Restricted diets
• Ground meals
• Soft diets
• Tube feeding
• Feeding assistance by trained nursing staff
• Special arrangements to meet participant preferences and feeding assistance if required

We offer a wide range of stimulating activities and events to meet participants’ special interests including

• Faith-based, spiritual discussions
• Cultural topics & the arts
• Cooking classes
• Men’s groups
• Women’s groups
• Relaxation & meditation
• Outdoor barbecue & patio
• Community outings to local parks, restaurants, etc.
• Daily exercise and movement sessions
• Live performers & group entertainment
  • Presentation by community experts on local cultural activities and the arts
  • Dancing & sing-a-longs
• Activities for hobby enthusiasts, like painting or gardening
• Individualized activities including
  • Organized chess, checkers, puzzles, cards, needlepoint or other options for those interested;
  • Specially designed activities to stimulate cognitive functioning;

Physical activity and cognitive stimulation are provided each day to improve cognition as well as gross and fine motor skills.

• Gross motor skills improve walking and balance, and are enhanced through
  • Chair exercises
  • Modified strength training
• Fine motor skills improve dressing and feeding, and are enhanced through
  • Manipulating small objects such as game-board pieces
• Cognitive stimulation is enhanced by word games which are encouraged daily
  • Scrabble, group crossword and word-association games

• Restorative therapies are available on-site and require a physician’s order;
• Restorative therapies are part of the participant’ss care plan;
• Help participants to:
  • Improve and maintain their balance and strength
  • Remain safer when walking and climbing stairs
  • Improve fine motor skills used in dressing and self-care
• Plans developed by the professional therapist for on-going or maintenance therapy will be carried out daily by our nursing staff;

If included in the customized care plan, individual and family counseling as well as group therapy are provided by trained counselors. Music therapy programs are also provided (where appropriate) for individuals as well as groups, using experienced music therapy professionals.

Our monthly support groups are designed to assist individuals and families in understanding the challenges of living with illness, disability and aging. We help people become more effective and confident as caregivers. All support group meetings are free and open to the public. Our Adult Day Health Care Center offers this support group for caregivers of a loved one, including those caring for frail elders or adults with disabilities. For schedules, please visit our Events Calendar, or visit the location pages [Mansfield, Norwood, Taunton] of each of our Adult Day Health Centers.