Dementia Care Day Program
Living with or caring for persons with memory loss can be especially difficult. It can affect you physically, emotionally, and financially. Our VNA Dementia Care Day Program at Grand Way specializes in caring for persons with memory loss. Our program is modeled after our successful adult day programs that provide social activities, healthy meals, and opportunities to meet new friends in a safe and homelike environment with nursing oversight.
Activities and the environment are customized in our program for the needs of persons with dementia. Contrasting colors on the walls and floors, bright open spaces, and multi-course meals are all part of a specially designed therapeutic environment that supports the need for independence and meaningful activity.
Our program runs Monday through Friday, from 10 am to 5 pm (participants may arrive as early as 7:30 am). Families can arrange care for your loved one from one day a week to all five days depending on your level of need.
Support Group for Caregivers and Persons Living with Dementia
While the day program benefits families and caregivers by providing valuable respite, we understand that caregivers and family members still struggle with this disease.
We offer a monthly dementia support group for caregivers, families and persons living with memory loss. At the beginning of each support group, caregivers and persons with dementia sit together and are welcomed by a VNA nurse facilitator. Later, family caregivers meet separately from the rest of the group to discuss and share topics specific to your needs. Some family caregivers appreciate the ability to bring their loved one with them so they may attend without worry.
Our group meets the second Wednesday of each month from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Meetings are held at our VNA Dementia Care Day Program at Grand Way. A light supper is served. The group is free and no pre-registration is required. You may join at anytime.
Cargiver Education
To expand on our dementia care services, we also offer one hour in-depth educational workshops focused on helping caregivers and families understand and cope with dementia. Topics we have planned for 2012 are:
- Planning for long-term care needs (February 1)
- Communication Strategies for Persons with Dementia (April)
- The Next Step: In Living or Care Arrangements (June)
- Starting the Conversation about Advance Care Planning (September)
These workshops typically run every other month, on the first Wednesday. They are held at the VNA Dementia Care Day Program at Grand Way at 5:30 pm. Check the calendar for the next scheduled workshop.
For more more information, please contact:
Millie Szyszka, Manager, Adult Day Programs
(802) 860-4407
szyszka@vnacares.org