Friends of Adult Day Health Care look to the future
On Feb. 21, Friends of Adult Day Health Care hosted a reenactment of opening day at Yolo Adult Day Health Center to celebrate the center’s 35th anniversary. Guests included physicians, Dignity Health and Yolo County administrators, elected officials and longtime program supporters who toasted to the center’s commitment to health, independence and dignity.
Back in the early 1970s, the idea for the center was born when a group of six Davisites came together with concerns about the quality of care for older adults. They were concerned about the quality of some skilled nursing facilities and residents who were in a higher level of care than needed, which impacted the quality of patients’ lives. Also discovered was a lack of community-based options to support frail and disabled adults at home. Determined, they decided to research community-based options for older adults.
Dair Rausch, one of three surviving members — along with Myra Gable and Elizabeth Gustafson — vividly remembers those early days and the goal to “improve the overall quality of life for elders by helping people age in place.” Other members that have since passed included Phoebe McGowan and Pat Scarlett. Under the leadership of former county health director Phil Walker, the Health Council recognized the significance of the vision and formed the Yolo County Elder Care Committee to champion the process.
Work commenced with a needs assessment, followed by research to identify the most appropriate course of action. After verifying that many seniors in nursing homes did not need 24-hour nursing care, site visits were arranged to explore what other communities were doing. The program that caught their attention was On Lok Senior Health Services in San Francisco where very frail elders in Chinatown were getting nursing home-like support while still living in small apartments; many with no elevators.
On Lok, which opened in 1970 under the direction of Marie-Louise Ansak, adopted the geriatric day hospital model of care created in the United Kingdom in the 1950s. At the heart was a pilot program called adult day health care. ADHC was exactly what the team was hoping to discover and California was just beginning to roll out the programs. Immediate work began with the California Department of Aging to begin licensing.
The need for a new facility to house the day program was readily clear and a major capital campaign commenced. Planning revealed that the community lacked knowledge about long-term care support, which was proving to be a barrier to fundraising. As such, the vision was expanded to include promoting awareness of geriatric services and describing the poor living conditions and isolation being experienced by many seniors in Yolo County.
An extensive educational campaign targeted nursing homes, service organizations, local legislators, various county councils and the community at large. Members published a series of articles and letters to the editor, and produced an informational video. The group even developed a teacher training curriculum to ensure children had the opportunity to learn about aging. Physician champions were particularly helpful, including Dr. Philip Weiler who was a strong proponent of adult day health care; first at the California Department of Health and then at UC Davis Medical Center. It was his assistant, Robin Fine, who was the first director of the center and key in developing the initial ADHC staff.
It was a time of new awareness for aging services; a local church offered to host an ongoing series of classes for the community, physicians were encouraged to increase the number of senior patients, medical assistants were educated on their roles as patient advocates, podiatrists donated services to those who could not pay, and volunteers were trained to visit persons in nursing homes. It was during this time that Rausch officially established Citizens Who Care in her living room.
Construction was well underway in 1983 when the six original visionaries decided to organize a separate 501(c) (3) nonprofit corporation to see the project to its completion and continue to support its efforts through education, advocacy and fundraising. The new organization was named Friends of Adult Day Health Care. They raised more than $30,000 to furnish, equip and landscape the center.
In the meantime, while Yolo County would own the building and maintain the program license, Eskaton, a provider of senior housing in Sacramento, would manage the program. This partnership remained in place until 1998 at which time Woodland Healthcare, now known as Dignity Health, replaced Eskaton. After more than 10 years of hard work and perseverance, in February of 1984, Yolo Adult Day Health Center opened its doors for the first time and would always be known as the first built-to-purpose adult day health center in California.
Now in its 35th year, the center continues to provide a day program for frail and disabled adults that includes nursing, rehabilitative therapies and social services, as well as a nutritious meals, socialization, activities, caregiver support and transportation to and from the center. The space has been expanded three times over the years and specialized programs serve individuals with dementia, traumatic brain injury and psychiatric diagnoses.
And, true to its mission, the Friends continue to support the center via a monthly donation, purchasing accessible vans, buses and therapy equipment, and funding innovative pilot programming. Ten years ago, the Friends spearheaded a major remodel to brighten up the 1980s décor. In a multitude of big and little ways, the work that started so many years ago continues today.
The spirit of innovation remains a strong component of the center but the staggering aging demographics has it operating at capacity, with a current waiting list of more than 60. As a response, the three-way partnership that built the center — Friends of Adult Day Health Care, Yolo County and Dignity Health — is back together to find a new space; a space large enough to address community needs for the next 35 years.
Friends of Adult Day Health Care is proud of its history and the success of the program. The board remains motivated by a strong commitment to holistic, person-centered, high quality community-based support for elders and individuals with disabilities. Their work is made possible by the support and interest of the community; it’s what built the center, and it will be what leads us to next opening day in the near future.
If you would like more information on how to support the Friends’ mission via a donation or volunteering contact Dawn Myers at Yolo Adult Day Health Center at 530-666-8828.
— Deborah Francis is a Board Member of Friends of Adult Day Health Care
