Smooth Move: Transitioning to an Adult Day Care

As the year comes to an end, you’re probably considering resolutions for 2017. For those of you caring for a disabled spouse or family member, consider the resolution of taking time for yourself by transitioning to an adult day care center. If you’ve been caring for your spouse or loved one for a long time, making the transition to a daycare for seniors can be scary for you and your loved one, but the benefits for each of you are well worth it.

Make a Successful Transition to an Adult Day Care Facility

Starting adult day care for your loved one

The thought of leaving you for prolonged amounts of time can be offputting to your loved one at first. When considering a social day care for the elderly, start by planting a seed of thought by gradually introducing the idea. When mentioning an adult day care center to your loved one, remind them of the benefits, which include:

Maintaining social interactions with their peers
Conserving their independence
Participating in fun senior day care activities, which can improve brain function
Taking control of their health through available services

After you’ve discussed the benefits with your loved one, begin transitioning to an adult day care by setting up a trial. Your family member may not be ready to attend all day long, five days a week. Start out with a few days a week or by attending for a few hours a day.

Handling the transition as a caregiver

It may come as a surprise that transitioning your loved one into an adult day care can take some getting used to for both parties. Many caregivers have empty nest syndrome for the first while. It’s important to remember the benefits an adult day care provides a caregiver, which are:

Taking time for yourself to relax
Maintaining some independence
Lowering your chances of caregiver burnout
Creating a social life with your peers

Many of the benefits for caregivers and their disabled loved ones are similar. It’s important for everyone to have some independence in their lives, especially those who care for their disabled spouse. Caregivers who take care of their spouses reported transitioning to an adult day care center was a first step in preparing for when their loved one passed. Although grief was abundant, they were used to spending some time alone, away from their loved one.