NEW HANOVER COUNTY, N.C. — It may be summer, but that doesn’t mean everyone gets a vacation.
Family members, who are taking care of a loved one, are often doing that on top of jobs and other priorities. That’s why adult day care programs are so important; they allow adults to remain independent in their own homes, while also easing the workload for their caretakers.
When it comes to caring for the elderly or disabled adults, sometimes it can be hard to take on the full extent of that care. That’s something Robbin Nelson, the director of Elderhaus at the Lake, knows firsthand.
“My dad has Lewy Body Dementia and was here for three years. Without this center, my mom wouldn’t have been able to work, and she needed to work,” Nelson said. “So he came here during the day, she worked, and she picked him up on the way home.”
Nelson has always been passionate about helping others, and after her experience with her father, she knew Elderhaus was right for her. It’s an alternative program to a nursing home that allows adults to remain independent while also getting the care they need.
“We like to do special things just to encourage them to come,” Nelson said. “Because it’s not good for them to sit home all day, every day.”
For Nelson, it’s not just seeing these adults smiling and socializing that feels so rewarding, it’s knowing that she’s helping caretakers like her mother every day.
“Caregiving for someone with dementia or any disability, it’s hard,” Nelson said, “It’s hard.”
Programs like Elderhaus get funding from the state and federal government, and that funding can be used to make those programs more affordable for those who need it. New Hanover County’s Sean Dwyer says they need more people to sign up for adult day cares if they want to keep the funding for these programs.
“Like with so many government programs, if you don’t use the money you end up having to send it back,” Dwyer said. “And if the state and federal government says, 'well you didn’t use it last year,' all of the sudden you get less.”
Much like Nelson, Dwyer — who has been in social work for over 20 years now — knows how important these programs are and wants to make sure they can stay accessible to everyone who needs them.
Adult day care services, like Elderhaus, aren’t just available in New Hanover County, there are many different providers throughout North Carolina. New Hanover County said they’re down to two people on their inquiry list for programs like these — meaning they’re looking for families in need.
If you’d like to sign up for a program in New Hanover County, you can click here.
If you’d like to see a list of providers from counties across the state, you can click here.