We know the struggle. You’re a caregiver. And you CARE. You want the best for your loved one, and you work hard to make that a reality.
Each of our lives are multifaceted and require us to wear several different hats. Caregiving can be a very heavy hat to wear on your own.
Joyful Journey, an adult day center in West Lafayette, IN, would like to give you some help. That’s why we’re offering these 5 reasons to choose adult day service.
1. Give yourself a Break
Caregiver fatigue is a very real health concern that can leave one physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted. If you find yourself day-after-day feeling depleted or overwhelmed, it is time to start looking for ways to balance your caregiving energy.
Adult day can be a great option that will help you keep your loved one in their home longer, while giving you the necessary time away from caregiving to attend to household, career, and life matters. Building your care team early will also help ease the transition for your loved one to trust the care of someone other than family.
It’s natural to feel like you need to be there for your loved one at all hours. And it can feel selfish to take a break. But keep in mind—you can’t pour from an empty cup!
2. A Community of Friends
An adult day service gives your loved one, who may otherwise feel isolated at home, a whole community of friends. It’s so important to have someone with whom to share experiences, enjoy leisure time, and share a sympathetic ear. Socializing and being part of a group makes us feel good.
In a very real sense, we’re all in this joyful journey together!
At Joyful Journey we learn each person’s individual and unique history, then design activities accordingly. Other benefits of socializing include promoting optimism, confidence, and self-acceptance.
Additionally, humor and laughter are powerful tools to foster camaraderie and positive feelings.
3. Increased Engagement and Activity
Physical and mental engagement can have a very positive effect on overall health. An adult day center can provide a variety of ways for people with different needs to receive their optimal level of activity, both physically and mentally.
Joyful Journey offers a number of activities that are fun and fundamental! Activities like chair aerobics and washer toss help activate gross motor strength and balance, while modified card games and word games help build resilience in the section of the brain connected to word and number recognition.
Our knowledgeable programs team makes activities easy and accessible to ensure your loved one is set up to feel successful during their day.
4. Sense of Purpose
Taking it a step further, a great quality of life requires a sense of purpose. This is more than a place to be.
It’s a sense of belonging and a reason to be.
This reason and drive is most often fulfilled through attaining life goals and career accolades or being part of a service group in the community. As we experience life changes like retiring from our life’s work or giving up driving, it can feel like our purpose is now out of reach.
However, with a caring and creative adult day team, purpose-filled activities are once again part of the fabric of your loved one’s life. For instance, our Friends light up when we introduce a service project that will impact their community!
5. Fostering Creativity
Trying new things, engaging in the creative process for arts and crafts, gardening, and listening to music can help engage our mind, body and spirit.
Learning something new and completing a project fosters a sense of pride and personal growth. When done in a group, it creates lasting interpersonal connections and feelings of belonging.
Music in particular unites us with our memories and each other.
Our Friends participate in a diverse range of arts and cultural experiences that encourage freedom of expression and personal choice through the creative process.
When introducing a creative project, seemingly complex ideas are broken down into simple steps to ensure Friends feel comfortable and successful throughout the project.
Music and Memory® Certified
We are Music and Memory® certified, allowing our team to create the perfect playlist for your loved one.
“These music favorites – specifically the beloved songs from a person’s formative years – tap deep memories not lost to dementia and can bring listeners back to life, enabling them to feel like themselves again, to converse, socialize, and stay present.”
–Music and Memory.org
Although the Music and Memory approach is specifically designed to benefit people with dementia, all of our Friends have this amazing program available to them.
The Joyful Difference
Joyful Journey exists to create meaningful moments, activities and purposeful days for each Friend and family we serve. We build relationships around trust, integrity, dignity, and willing hearts, putting others first in a way that strengthens families and our entire community.
We invite you to tour the house and see for yourself how Joyful Journey can be a daytime home away from home for your loved one and help you receive the support you need. Give us a call at (765) 607-6156.
A Quick Note!
Friends – People that attend Joyful Journey are referred to as our Friends. For example, we don’t have patients, participants or attendees—we have Friends that come to visit.