Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Hi Judy, Yes, when my husband lived at home I had him in a Day Program for a few years. They allowed him at first to attend half a day three days a week, because he didn't have the stamina to go a full five day week for a full day. As he adjusted to the hours and days, we added on more time for him to be there. He liked the staff and most of the activities they did. They had a bus that would pick him up and bring him home, but he knew the way from our house to the Day Program and when the bus turned off the road to pick up other people, it gave my husband anxiety and he panicked that he was being kidnapped and he refused to get on the bus anymore, so I drove him each time to the program and picked him up. There were some days he would refuse to leave the house, I had to play a game with him to get him out. He liked to go for rides, so I told him we were going for a ride and then he would get in the car and I would take him to the program. Once he was there he was fine and liked it. Other than the episode with the bus, he liked it. It kept him stimulated instead of in front of a TV at home, which he could no longer process what was going on, he just liked to watch the action. He no longer was really into Movies or TV since he could not process what was happening. He also could not watch things like Westerns or Military movies, because he would act the part and think he was being shot or if there was a fire in the movie, he thought there was fire around him and would panic. Movies became reality, so I told the Day Program he can only watch family style videos at the Day Program, but no Westerns or Military Classic Movies, and if they showed those movies, they kept him busy in another room with another activity that he liked. I also liked the program, because they accepted my husband. He could not toilet himself and other programs would not accept that. They served lunches at the program, but my husband was a picky eater and had his favorites that he liked. They gave me the menu for the week and if I saw something I knew he would not eat, I packed his lunch for that day. The Day Program had guest speakers on some evenings that were very helpful with things pertaining to dementia and all the other ailments that people had. I attended the ones that pertained to my experiences and my needs. They also had a support group for dementia in the day. While my husband attended, I went to that a few days a week. They still send me fliers on guest speakers and chairity fund raisers several years later. They are having a Crab Feed Frund Raiser in a few weeks. I hope your mother likes the program as well as my husband liked his, and the the social activities. It was very good stimulation for him instead of sleeping all day in front of a TV or in bed. Jan Colello, San Francisco Bay Area, East Bay Husband, Jim, dx w/LBD 2003 Deceased, January 2011 ________________________________ To: LBDcaregivers Sent: Sunday, January 8, 2012 1:27 PM Subject: Day programs ? Hello friends, I was thinking of enrolling my mother in a recreation program at a local nursing home in moms neighborhood. Although she is in the late stages of LBD - She spends most of the day in the wheel chair watching tv - I am taking on more work now and long to see mom more socially involved with other people..... Has anyone enrolled a loved one in this kind of a program?? All advice or input will be appreciated. Thank you, Judy Judy R Strauss, LMSW, PhD Area Chair | College of Social Sciences University of Phoenix Jersey City Campus | 100 Town Square Place | Suite 305 Jersey City, NJ 07310 Cell: Email: Jrstr@... ------------------------------------ Welcome to LBDcaregivers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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