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ElderGarden, a social model ADC supported by OSCS, is located on the premises of the OSCS building at 2601 Highland Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35205 and is managed by the Jefferson County Housing Authority. The center is open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Participants enjoy a wide range of carefully structured therapeutic activities offered in a comfortable and secure environment. ElderGarden maintains an excellent staff-to-participant ratio, insuring that each participant gets lots of love and attention. The Program Director is a State Dementia Educator, and all staff are trained and experienced in providing tender and expert care for those who have Alzheimer’s Disease and other types of Dementia. A hot nutritious lunch that satisfies one third of the adult nutritional requirement is provided each day. Healthy snacks are also served each morning and afternoon. Additional services include incontinence management and assistance with oral medications. Further, caregivers can receive dementia education at no additional cost, as well as referral to community services. A unique feature of the ElderGarden program is that no actual fee is charged. Instead, a specified voluntary contribution is requested. ElderGarden is a Medicaid Waiver service provider. For additional information contact Donna Lott, Program Director at (205) 325-1416 or at dlott@adss.state.al.us. You may print our flyer by clicking on ElderGarden Senior Adult Care.

Adult Day Care (ADC), a valuable but often- overlooked option in the long-term care continuum of services, is available throughout Jefferson County. It is typically available during daytime hours and is designed for people who require supervision and/or assistance in managing the activities of daily living and would benefit from a program of structured and stimulating activities. At most centers the family can tailor the placement to meet their individual needs, enrolling a participant for every day of the week or for as little as one day a week. The hours of operation are usually established to meet the needs of most working caregivers. Families find that when they "partner" with an adult day care center to provide some of the care, the quality of life of both caregiver and care recipient improve. For a listing of adult day care centers in Jefferson County click on Local Adult Day Care Centers.

Generally, most adult day care centers strive to achieve the following goals:

ADC’s provide daily programming that engages the participant in an array of stimulating and enjoyable activities designed to meet a broad spectrum of human needs. For example, on a typical day in many local ADC centers, participants might enjoy musical and artistic activities that enhance self-expression. They may have opportunities for spiritual enrichment. They would participate in a variety of exercise groups designed to improve strength and flexibility thereby reducing their risk for falls and injury. Further, they may enjoy socialization and reminiscing activities, as well as mental and sensory stimulation. All activities are adapted to the capabilities of individuals who have physical and/or cognitive impairments. Most centers provide nutritious meals and snacks and offer assistance if needed with feeding, toileting, and other basic care activities. At the end of each day of attendance the participant returns to the familiarity and comfort of home and family. Once the participant has had an opportunity to adapt to the ADC setting and the increase in stimulating activity, the family frequently will begin to notice some wonderful changes in the individual. He or she will often begin to exhibit heightened alertness, improved mood, and increased strength and physical stamina. Visitors to adult day care centers will notice that most of the participants are genuinely enjoying their day. The public perception of ADC is that it offers needed relief for family caregivers. While it is certainly true that ADC can be a Godsend for caregivers, actually the most exciting potential of ADC is the improvement in quality of life experienced by participants.

Two basic adult day care models exist, the social model and the medical model.

In centers that have been developed to meet the definition of the social model, the primary focus is on providing non-medical interventions. These would include such elements as basic care and supervision, the reversal of the social isolation so often observed in individuals who have physical or cognitive impairment, the provision of an array of stimulating activities, and nutritious meals and snacks. Further, many social model centers offer additional services such as referral to community resources, support groups for caregivers, family education, periodic health screenings, bath services, transportation, extended hours on one or two evenings, and weekend respite.

Programs that comply with the criteria of the medical model will often provide all or many of the services offered by social model programs. Additionally they will provide an LPN on duty at all times who is supervised by a Registered Nurse trained in geriatric and dementia care and will have available the services of a physician. Medical model ADC centers may also offer physical, occupational, and speech therapies.

While there are many advantages to using adult day care, one of the most important is the dramatic saving in the out-of-pocket cost of providing care. Since almost all long- term care, including ADC is paid for out–of-pocket, unless the participant is Medicaid eligible or is covered by a private long -term care insurance policy, cost is a very important issue for most families. Of all available care options, adult day care is by far the most cost effective. In centers located in Jefferson County basic fee structures vary widely, but the most expensive center in the county is a bargain when compared to the cost of any other option.

For families who may hesitate to seek ADC services due to a perceived difficulty in managing the fee payment, some financial assistance is available. The Jefferson County Office of Senior Citizens Services administers a caregiver grant called "Alabama Cares of Jefferson County" that provides individual grant awards to caregivers that can be used for the purchase of an array of services including ADC services. For information about the Alabama Cares Grant, phone OSCS at (205) 325-1416 and ask for Intake or click on Programs and Services and then on Alabama Cares of Jefferson County. For those who are caring for someone who has Alzheimer’s Disease or other forms of dementia, Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama (ACA) offers adult day care scholarships. For scholarship information, phone ACA at (205) 871-7970. The scholarship application form may be downloaded by going to www.alzca.org. For Medicaid SSI recipients, adult day care services are one of the options available under the Medicaid Waiver program. For information call (205) 325-1416 and ask for the Medicaid Waiver Supervisor or click on Programs and Services and then on Medicaid Waiver Services.

Currently Alabama has no licensure process for the ADC industry. However, many local centers are Medicaid Waiver providers and those centers are surveyed and certified annually by the state Medicaid Agency.