New Local Program Finds Daily Care for Seniors
Cary, NC – As people age, finding the right level of care and living arrangements can be difficult. But a new adult day care in Cary is looking to assist seniors who need daily care on a flexible schedule.
Care During the Day
Evergreen Adult Day Services, located on Kildaire Farm Road and opened in May 2017, is a day care program for seniors who need care for part of the day while their primary caregivers can focus on other needs.
“Looking after someone can be time-consumer. The caregiver can feel they no longer live for themselves,” said Linda Kim, founder and executive director of Evergreen. “Having a part-time arrangement can let the caretaker run errands and take care of the house.”
Kim said the needs of their participating seniors is primarily monitoring for their safety if they have problems with wandering, which can be a symptom of dementia. Other needs include trouble with mobility so they cannot meet their needs in a day such as getting to the bathroom or being able to get or prepare food, as well as medical conditions such as seizures or diabetes that need attention and potentially quick action.
Evergreen also has nurses on staff so administrative and emergency care can be provided, and 911 can still be dialed.
“With a nurse, we can start treatments before 911 arrives,” Kim said.
But another important component Kim said is some of the people in their care are dealing with isolation as a result of their physical limitations and need a place to socialize.
“As you get older, you don’t get to choose as much,” Kim said. “Having people there to help them get as much out of life as possible is what we do.”
Crafts made by seniors at Evergreen
Finding Flexible Help
Kim said the idea for Evergreen came after she saw her father-in-law in a similar program and she looked to see if other ones existed in Wake County. She found there were several but they had waiting lists and were often one-on-one rather than group settings. Also, other forms of care for seniors were often expensive, and even more so when it came to senior living communities.
“With the day service, you can live at home while spending the day here so there’s no extra living arrangements,” she said. “And with a group setting, that helps leverage the cost of nurses and management.”
Evergreen includes a medical office for check-ups, as well as a living room and a large dining and activity space. Kim said Evergreen partners with local restaurants to cater daily lunches.
Currently, Kim said about a quarter of the seniors who work with them come in five days a week but most only come in two days a week and Kim said giving caretakers and seniors this flexibility can help with schedules.
Evergreen recently hired a new nurse and is looking to secure funding, both through Medicaid and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Community Care Block Grant.
“It’s important to lay that groundwork right now,” Kim said.
Evergreen Adult Day Services is located at 3434 Kildaire Farm Rd., in Suite 129.
Story by Michael Papich. Photos courtesy of Evergreen Adult Day Services.
