Senior Care Merger to own More ADC Centers

SENIOR CARE CENTERS OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES MERGER WITH ACTIVE DAY TO BECOME THE LARGEST OPERATOR OF ADULT DAY SERVICES IN THE U.S.

Senior Care Centers of America, the second largest operator of adult day services, announced on Monday, September 26, 2011, that Active Day, the largest operator of adult day services, has agreed to merge with Senior Care. The combined organization will have 76 centers in 11 states and will substantially surpass the size of its nearest competitor. After the merger, Active Day will be a subsidiary of Senior Care, and the ownership of Senior Care will remain essentially unchanged. Jim Donnelly, CEO of Senior Care, will lead the combined organization. Selected members of the Active Day management team will continue to work in the combined entity. The merger is expected to close in November 2011.

The Aging States of America

As the baby boomers grow older, America is getting older too, According to the 2010 census, the nation's median age has increased to 37.2 up from 35.3 in 2000. The aging trend held up in every state -only the District of Columbia has a younger median age now than adecade ago. For states have major implications for policy and politics. Older states, such as Maine, Vermont, West Virginia and New Hampshire, may have less time than others to prepare for challenges such as providing long-term care for a growing elderly population.At the same time, younger states such as Utah and Texas must wrestle with educating relatively large school- age populations.

Adult day care and assisted living facilities are a viable solutions to our country's aging population in terms of caring for the elders in our communities. Let's continue to assist our communities with these services.

Aging

As the Wall Street Journal reports, for as long as human being have searched for the fountain of youth, they have also feared the consequences of extended life. Today we are on the cusp of a revolution that may finally resolve that tension: advances in medicine and biotechnology will radically increase not just our life spans but also, crucially, our health spans.

The number of people living to advanced old age is already on the rise. There are some 5.7 million Americans 85 and older, amounting to about 1.8% of the population, according to the Census Bureau. That is projected to rise to 19 million, or 4.34% of the population, by 2050, based on current trends. The percentage of Americans 100 and older is projected to rise from 0.03% today to 0.14% of the population in 2050. Thats a total of 601,000 centenarians.

But many scientists think that this is just the beginning; they are working furiously to make it possible for human beings to achieve very long life spans. They are studying the aging process itself and experimenting with ways to slow it down by way of diet, drugs and genetic therapy. They are also working on new ways to replace worn-out organs-and even to help the body to rebuild itself.

Adult day care will be in greater need as the elderly will still be able to live longer and have lives that need medical attention and socializing.

Wanderes Policy & Procedures in Adult Day Care

This is a sample policy and procedure for wanderers in an adult day care center:

POLICY

The safety and well being of Adult Day Service participants will be a primary concern of the staff. Additional supervision and security measures will be incorporated into the program to safeguard participants who are "wanderers".

PROCEDURE:

Identify participants with a history of wandering (as noted by family members or through Adult Day Service experience) to staff, students, and volunteers. Supervise participants who wander. These participants must never be "unattended". A staff member, student, or volunteer should always maintain visual contact with the wanderer. Ensure that a photograph of each participant is on file. Contact the local police department to familiarize them with the type of service we offer in their jurisdiction. This "non-crisis" contact will facilitate action when an emergency occurs. Maintain a list of phone numbers including police, local Emergency Management Agencies (EMA), local volunteer groups etc. to be called if a prolonged search is required.

ACTION TO BE TAKEN IF A PARTICIPANT IS MISSING Assign one person to coordinate the search effort. Search the building and immediate vicinity thoroughly. Conduct a brief search of the neighborhood if the participant is not found during the initial search of the building/vicinity. (Adult Day Service programming and other participants' safety should not be jeopardized when staff goes out to look for the wanderer). Coordinate the neighborhood canvas. Assign directions to travel and time away from the center. Staff will check in frequently to keep informed of the situation. Call the local police department to help in the search if a participant is not found within the immediate vicinity. Contact the participant's family after the local police have been notified. Notify the Illinois Department on Aging, the Veteran's Administration, or the Illinois Department of Rehabilitation of any incident involving a participant enrolled in ADC through that program. Notify Director, by pager, of the situation if the Director is not on site during the incident. Follow any further directions about who else to contact. Record a description of the incident and outcome in the progress notes of the participant file. Ensure that staff is available by the phone until the person is found. Forward Adult Day Service phone to home if necessary. Arrange for professionals (i.e., ministers, social workers, etc.) to be available, should a person be missing for a prolonged period. They will be able to help staff, family, friends and other participants deal with their feelings. Notify personnel outside of Adult Day Service with resolution of situation if they were involved in the search.

NOTE: MANY OF THESE STEPS WILL BE DONE SIMULTANEOUSLY OR WITHIN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

Facts about adult day care

Adult day service centers provide a coordinated program of professional and compassionate services for adults in a community-based group setting. Services are designed to provide social and some health services to adults who need supervised care in a safe place outside the home during the day. They also afford caregivers respite from the demanding responsibilities of caregiving. Adult day centers generally operate during normal business hours five days a week. Some programs offer services in the evenings and on weekends. Although each facility may differ in terms of features, these general services are offered by most adult day centers:
Social activities

interaction with other participants in planned activities appropriate for their conditions
Transportation

door-to-door service
Meals and snacks

participants are provided with meals and snacks, those with special dietary needs are offered special meals
Personal care

help with toileting, grooming, eating and other personal activities of daily living
Therapeutic activities

exercise and mental interaction for all participants.

In general, there are three types of adult day centers: social (which provides meals, recreation and some health-related services), medical/health (which provides social activities as well as more intensive health and therapeutic services) and specialized (which provide services only to specific care recipients, such as those with diagnosed dementias or developmental disabilities. Caregivers typically select the type of center a care recipient attends based on the care needed.

Why Adult Day Care Services are Important

Adult Day Care can be an important part of a persons life in that it helps to preserve their life and provides the fundamental every day Life's tasks to be watched and presented to a person who may not be able to take care of themselves like they used to.
Adult Day Care is essential to aging in place because it allows for an elderly person to
1. Live at home with family and loved ones
2.Provides social opportunities with peers under caring supervision
3.Provides Nursing care as needed during the day
4. Creates an environment that is flexible to receive care only on the days when needed
5.Allows for participation in therapeutic activities for the body
6.Medications are monitored and supervised daily
7.A dietitian oversees meal plans and eating is monitored
8.It's specifically designed for Senior Citizens
9.Its also designed for adult of any age with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Request for Adult Day Care Centers

The Centers for Disease Control has requested input from adult day services providers about influenza baccinations of health care personnel in long term care settings. Please submit your thoughts on problems, barriers and solutions on how we can improve vaccination rates among personnel to Susan Nirschel, RN, by September 1, 2011, via email at snirschel@westernpa.easterseals.com.