The Lutheran Senior Life Passavant Community in Zelienople offers an array of services and living arrangements for senior citizens.
But when several clients' spouses said they needed personal time to visit a doctor or do grocery shopping, officials responded to their requests for respite care for their husbands or wives.
“We recognize there is stress that caregivers can place on themselves,” said Laura Roy, executive director of Lutheran Senior Life Passavant Community.
Such stress can occur whether the caregiver is a spouse or an adult child caring for an aging parent.
“At times caregivers need a break … so to be able to provide that respite on campus enables them to be better spouses or a better child.”
One solution, called My Day Out, will kick off this month on the second floor of the Abundant Life Center, 105 Burgess Drive, Zelienople.
My Day Out will offer care for seniors, not only those who live in the Passavant community but those from other parts of Butler County.
The program will operate from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Roy said Passavant Community officials hope to open My Day Out beginning next week.
“We are in the process of hiring staff and getting those folks on board,” she said.
Once My Day Out opens in a 1,800-square foot space accessible by elevator, up to 28 clients at a time will receive a continental breakfast and lunch catered by the Passavant dining services department.
They will participate in activities and, if desired, receive personal care such as showers, haircuts and hair styling.
Clients who are patients of Passavant physicians can schedule doctors' appointments for this time.
People who are not patients of Passavant physicians can transfer their care there and can be seen during their stays at My Day Out.
The staff will keep clients engaged in what Roy called “socialization and engagement.”
Cost of the program will be $60 for a full day of more than five hours, or $35 for a half day of five or fewer hours.
Donna VanKirk, vice president of development for Lutheran Senior Life, the umbrella organization that oversees the Passavant campus and other programs for seniors in Butler, Beaver, Lawrence and Westmoreland counties, said the idea of adult day care is “part of a continuum of Passavant care.
“One of the trends is to age in place as long as possible,” VanKirk said. “This level of care meets that need … Adult day services don't meet everyone's needs, but we are able to help seniors who have a variety of needs and income levels.”
She said Lutheran Senior Life goals are to make life “meaningful for (seniors) and dignified for them.”
Sandra Fischione Donovan is a freelance writer.
