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Adult day care centers show off their services Diana Balazs The Arizona Republic Sept. 22, 2003 12:00 AM NORTHEAST VALLEY - Two adult day health care centers that serve the Northeast Valley are sponsoring open houses to introduce the public to their services. The open houses at the Scottsdale Healthcare Adult Day Services and Santa Maria Adult Day Healthcare centers are participating in National Adult Day Healthcare Week. Adult day health care programs offer a homelike atmosphere where both senior and the developmentally disabled can socialize and enjoy cooking, exercise, field trips and other activities. For family caregivers, the service allows them to go to work, run errands or enjoy time to themselves while knowing their loved ones are in a safe environment. Northeast Phoenix resident Carelie Bisinger, 62, is grateful for the program. Her husband, Bob, 64, attends the Scottsdale center at McDonald Drive and Granite Reef Road. He has Parkinson's disease. If it wasn't for adult day care, Bisinger said she would have had to quit her job as an administrative assistant and stay home, something she couldn't afford. "It gives me the support and probably the peace of mind of him being well cared for in a safe environment, and it's fun for him, too," she said. The two Northeast Valley centers are operated by the Foundation for Senior Living, one of several agencies that run adult day health care programs. There are 22 such facilities in Arizona, of which the private non-profit foundation operates 7. The foundation, in conjunction with Scottsdale Healthcare, operates the Scottsdale Healthcare Adult Day Services at 8463 E. McDonald. It is licensed for up to 49 people a day. About 30 currently attend daily. The foundation also operates the Santa Maria Adult Day Healthcare program held on the grounds of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 3801 E. Greenway Road, Phoenix. It is licensed for 48 a day and is closer to capacity. The two facilities provide weekday activities to residents of Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, Paradise Valley and Phoenix. Kit Prestwood, the foundation's Northeast regional director, said a mix of young and older adults are served. Generally, participants range in age from their 30s up to their 90s. "We serve populations with dementia, behavioral health and developmental disabilities," she said. Prestwood said everyone is treated like family. The Scottsdale center, for example, has a piano and cozy rockers and recliners. A typical day there includes reading the newspaper, exercise, rest and relaxation, bingo, dominoes and other games. Periodic field trips also are held. "We don't want to have that hospital feel. No one wants to go to a place like that.," Prestwood said. "What we're trying to do is provide a safe environment and provide activities and therapies that enhance a person's life. We have the medical piece as well where medications can be dispensed during the day in a safe manner," she said. Each center has a site supervisor, nurses, certified nursing assistants and recreation staff. The cost ranges from $8.50 to $9.50 per hour and includes lunch and two snacks. Bus transportation is available at an additional cost. The centers accept private pay as well as from a variety of programs, such as Arizona Long Term Care System and Senior Adults for Independent Living. Demetta Williams, 63, of Fountain Hills, said the program has helped her and her mother enjoy more independence. Williams' mother, Mildred Epps, 89, has been attending the Scottsdale center for nearly three years. Epps, who has dementia, comes several days a week and stays all day. The center's bus picks her up and takes her home. Williams, who cares for her mother, said she enjoys going to the center and socializing. "The days she stays home, I'm trying to entertain her. She's not wanting to look at TV. She can't read any more. She can't sew any more, so she just sits. I'll be busy doing my little household chores and things. If she goes to the center, she is entertained, and she is very social. She enjoys going," Williams said. On the days her mother attends, Williams, a retired elementary school teacher, can spend the day running errands and taking a breather. She now even works part-time at Curves, a fitness gym in Scottsdale. "The day care has really helped 100 percent with my life," she said. Bisinger is also able to work and know her husband is being looked after. She said the staff is extremely caring. "They have some really excellent people working over there," she said. She said adult day health care gives her husband a purpose and self-worth. "It gives him the routine he needs because if he's home, it's too easy to just kind of sit around. The activities and the lively conversation, I think, really stimulate his thought processes," she said. 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