PARIS, Ky. – Shutdowns and restrictions because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have changed the way most people live their daily lives. When the routines of the clients at the Joseph Allen Adult Day Care and Health Center were disrupted, the staff noticed some changes in their clients’ behavior and implemented plans to make adjusting to not coming to the center as easy as possible.
What You Need To Know
- Day center closed from March to August
- Staff made home visits and Zoom calls to clients
- Different activities added since partial reopening
- Program is important to clients and caregivers
The day program is typically Monday-Friday for aged or disabled individuals aged 21 and over, which is a population that relies heavily on socialization and routines in their daily lives. The center provided a stimulating social environment responsive to the needs of its clients, as well as respite and supportive care for caregivers, but closed on March 16 because of the pandemic. Before reopening with restrictions this past August, center director Sandy Hedges-Livingood said she saw some clients’ behavior begin to regress, with one even going from verbal to non-verbal.
“People don’t get it,” Hedges-Livingood said. “They just think we play games and eat in here, but this is a family. When we closed, their lives started changing within weeks – one stopped talking. This place is their independence. They come here to be independent because at home they’re labeled disabled, but they have more abilities than they have disabilities. That's always been my outlook.”
The center’s 17 active clients had long been accustomed to five days a week filled with games such as corn hole, Jenga, and Connect Four, along with trips to the Georgetown Theater to watch movies or to Southland Lanes in Lexington for bowling. Even now, the clients are split into two groups that attend the center on either Monday and Wednesday, or Tuesday and Thursday. COVID-19 has halted all trips as no more than two people at a time are allowed on public transportation buses and many places remain shut down. During the complete shutdown of the center, however, is when Hedges-Livingood and her staff, state registered nurse aids Sandy Stump and Cassandra Byars, got creative.
“When we closed I said, ‘They're still a part of us.’ And even though the center is closed, we still have the daycare and they still have needs,” Hedges-Livingood said. “I would call every week and ask if they needed food or anything. We're blessed because none of our families needed anything physical wise, but our clients needed to see things we just took for granted.”
Hedges-Livingood said twice a month she and her staff would go to clients’ homes, and while adhering to COVID-19 protocols, drop off kits of coloring sheets and puzzles. The clients would also work on crafts and when finished, take a picture of the project that was then posted on the Bourbon Heights Adult Daycare Facebook page.
About a month after the center closed, Hedges-Livingood got the idea to start Zoom calls with the clients twice a month.
“The funny thing is we're sitting there on the Zoom, and we have probably seven on at one time, and they’re talking to each other and when they see each other pop up you watch their face and could see the reaction of, ‘That's my friend,’” Hedges-Livingood said. “We could literally watch their behavior change and start to get back to normal on those calls.”
The home visits and Zoom calls had to suffice until the center reopened this past August with limited days and attendance because of COVID-19 restrictions. Although the group cannot take their typical trips, which also includes playing handbells around the community, they are making the best out of playing games, eating lunch, and socializing with their friends.
“My heart is here,” said Vicki Mullins, 49, who is a longtime client at the center.
Hedges-Livingood said although there are many things the group cannot do, the staff has worked around that by adding new in-house activities, such as “Pajama Day” and “Movie Day.”
“They’re just excited to be back,” she said. “They love playing bingo but they love the prizes more. Everything we do has a reason. We exercise every day and, starting in February through a grant with the University of Kentucky and the YMCA, we're going to have a virtual trainer two days a week for eight weeks.”
Client Lee Anne Kwasny, 60, said the exercise is her favorite thing about going to the center, but overwhelmingly, the clients prefer playing games, at which Hedges-Livingood said they are ultra-competitive.
“Corn hole is my favorite of the games,” said client Fallon Stamper. “But, I’m the best at all of them.”
Client Jessica Earlywine, 41, is the newest regular attendee at the center. She said her favorite part is the friends she has made.
“I didn’t know anybody when I started coming here,” she said. “I also love the crafts. I’m really good at art.”
The Joseph Allen Adult Day Center is located at Bourbon Heights, the only assisted-living facility in Bourbon County. Byars has worked at the facility for 16 years, but became part of the staff at the adult day center almost a year ago. She said being the mother of a 13-year-old son with Down syndrome has created reciprocity in her work and home life.
“This is a tough but absolutely wonderful job,” Byars said. “You have to have a very big heart and a lot of patience. Our clients are very routine-oriented, and when we were closed, they missed the socialization and doing things over and over. The one client would only talk during our Zoom calls, which showed us that interaction was what she needed and, when she came back, it was like none of that regression ever happened.”
Jason Pollitt, 42, is a client at the center who lives with his grandmother. He said the center closing and even reopening with restrictions has been challenging.
“I like the companionship and the things we do here and not having to stay home 24/7,” he said. “I always like having my friends around I can talk to.”
Stump said working at the center is the job she never knew she wanted.
“It’s the most exciting job I have ever had,” she said. “It’s a different world. We all worry about our clients even when they are home. We know they are being taken care of, but we worry because we think about them as our own. When I interviewed for this job, I didn’t really even know what it was for, but I ended up right where I wanted to be.”