First Central L.A. Adult Day Center for Alzheimer's/Dementia Adults

September 8, 2003
Families and caregivers of adults with Alzheimer’s and dementia have a new option for their loved ones at the S. Mark Taper Foundation Adult Day Health Care Center, a new $2 million facility to open September 16 in the mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles.

Culturally sensitive to its diverse community with a multi-lingual staff, the S. Mark Taper ADHCC is designed to minimize family and patient isolation, avoid pre-mature or unnecessary and costly nursing home placement, maximize individual participant potential in a normal home-like setting that respects independence, dignity, and culture.

The only facility of its type in central Los Angeles that is a medical and social day care center designed specifically for adults with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, the non-profit S. Mark Taper Foundation Adult Day Health Care Center (ADHCC) is equipped to handle people from early to more advanced stages of dementia who may wander, are incontinent or aggressive; but the emphasis at the center is on creating a welcoming, deinstitutionalized environment that participants look forward to attending.

"The S. Mark Taper Foundation Adult Day Health Care Center works with our communities to help them understand how Alzheimer’s and dementia affect the individual and the family as the first step in understanding how the new facility and services will honor their loved ones. Then we help families make decisions and learn to manage the important responsibilities of caring for a loved one who is ill," noted Martha Spinks, Ph.D., MSW, and Executive Director of the non-profit St. Barnabas Senior Services, the parent organization of the Center.

With specially designed gardens and comfortable, home-like interiors, the S. Mark Taper Foundation ADHCC sets a new standard for adult day care. The highly-qualified professional staff of social workers, nurses, physical, speech and occupational therapists, and other medical personnel have affiliations with University of Southern California Andrus School of Gerontology USC Keck School of Medicine, the Gerontological Social Work Education Consortium and other institutions, both for quality assurance and for training interns and residents of medicine, social work, gerontology, sociology and administration.

The program provides a safe and stimulating environment where people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia can enjoy meaningful occupation and a satisfying community life among other people in a normal setting. For their caregivers, the day care center provides an alternative to placing their loved ones in nursing homes, by freeing them to work or attend to other responsibilities during the day.

Two day care options are available at the S. Mark Taper Foundation Adult Day Health Care Center:

• Adult Day Health Care Center (ADHCC) The ADHCC is a community-based program that specializes in providing medical, rehabilitative, and social services for adults 18 years old and over who are physically or mentally impaired. Nurses, physical, speech and occupational therapists, clinical social workers, and other medical personnel provide an array of services to participants in the ADHCC. ADHCC is a Medi-Cal benefit, and is available under certain other insurance policies and private pay. In order to receive reimbursement from Medi-Cal or other insurers, ADHCC staff must assess participants and the insurer must review and approve the assessment. The California Department of Health Services licenses ADHCC.

•Alzheimer’s Day Care Resource Center (ADCRC) The ADCRC is a social day care program specializing in programs for persons with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. No medical care or therapy is included in the ADCRC program, but recipients do receive attentive oversight that includes recreational and socialization activities that stimulate participants and afford them an opportunity for interaction with others in a relatively unrestricted environment. Families pay privately and the Center may be able to offer a sliding fee scale. The emphasis in the ADCRC is on social and recreational activities, without medical care or therapy. The Saint Barnabas ADCRC, like most of these centers, is licensed by the Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division. ADCRCs receive some funding from the Area Agency on Aging.

The S. Mark Taper Foundation Adult Day Health Care Center (ADHCC) is named after the private family foundation that provided major funding for the new facility. Other major donors include: The California Endowment, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Weingart Foundation, Ahmanson Foundation, Max Factor Foundation, Spring Street Foundation, Norris Foundation, Los Angeles Rotary, The Los Angeles Times, and numerous generous individuals. About St. Barnabas Senior Services:

The non-profit St. Barnabas Senior Services is a leader in innovative programs dedicated to the independence and dignity of seniors. Last year, the agency served 3,000 seniors through its Multi-Purpose Senior Center, Angelus Plaza and Chinatown social work locations, along with its five congregate meal sites and a variety of other outreach services. For more information, contact Center Director Herb Shon, Ph.D., M.S.W. at (213) 388-4445; hshon@SaintB-LA.org or visit: www.SaintB-LA.org