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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shirley Freyer
Concordia Lutheran Ministries
Tel: 1-724-352-1571 x8266
sfreyer@concordialm.org

Adult Day Services Makes the Grade with Families

Cabot, PA – In an age when time is one of our most valuable assets, it’s impossible to put a price tag on the opportunity to freely schedule appointments, run errands, and relax when need be. For those acting as primary caregivers to a loved one in their own home, the concept of free time is a commodity that is never taken for granted.

Unfortunately, the one thing a caregiver occasionally does take for granted is his or her own well-being. With all the time and energy spent caring for their loved one, personal concerns sometimes go by the wayside.

And that’s where Concordia Adult Day Services (ADS) enters the picture. ADS, which has been offered in the Lund Care Center of Concordia’s Cabot campus since 2000, provides a safe, secure Christian environment for aging and disables individuals to reinforce their self-esteem, dignity and value to the community. What this equals to the caregivers who utilize the program: priceless.

A husband is forced into a difficult decision…

This was especially true for Leechburg resident John Malecki, whose wife Joyce was a regular at ADS until recently moving into a long-term care facility. Before deciding to use ADS, John and his wife had to be “tied at the hip” due to a medical condition that left her unable to care for herself.

“My daughter saw the strain that I was putting on myself, trying to care for my wife 24/7 and still trying to make time for my own appointments, doctors visits, and whatnot,” he said. “What ADS did was give me time to live my own life.”

John started off taking his wife Joyce to Concordia ADS three times a week, but soon realized that with his own health conditions, he would need even more respite. Joyce was eventually at ADS every weekday.

“It was terrific how well she took to it,” he said. “Even though she couldn’t talk at that point, her actions showed me how much she enjoyed being there; the interaction with other people, the activities. Even if she couldn’t participate in everything, just being around other people was so beneficial.”

A mother and daughter find the help they need…

Cabot resident Toni Hagey served as the primary caregiver to her mother Maggie for over three years, due to Maggie’s advanced dementia. Unsure of where to turn for help and guidance, she coincidentally bumped into Concordia ADS Director Paula Sypulski at church one morning.

After telling Sypulski her story and checking the Alzheimer’s Association Web site, she decided to give Concordia ADS a try. And while she didn’t believe her mother would acclimate to socializing at first, her apprehensions were quickly calmed, as her mother adapted right away.

“She was a natural, never missed a beat,” Hagey said. “Not only did the socialization seem to slow the progress of her dementia, but the program gave her a sense of worth. Even though she couldn’t always remember what she had done the day before, she knew she had a reason to get out of bed.”

Seeing how well her mother did gave Hagey an opportunity to exhale and re-energize. She had regular meetings with the ADS staff to stay informed of her mother’s status, got the necessary respite she needed to “stay sane,” and, most importantly, found a little peace of mind.

“I’ve never seen or experienced the type of compassionate, professional care that I saw at Concordia,” she said. “It is was so refreshing to know that when I dropped mom off every day, she was being treated the way she deserved, with dignity and respect.”

Hagey said her mother Maggie was an incredible woman who led an active life to say the least. A military nurse early in her career, Maggie worked in healthcare most of her life (a field in which her daughter followed suit). She enjoyed dancing, figure skating, and above all else, helping. Hagey said her mother was “God’s gift to listening.”

Since Maggie passed away in June of 2008, Hagey has turned her positive experience with ADS into an opportunity to help others: She now volunteers at Concordia ADS several days a week.

For more information on the Concordia Adult Day Services program, contact Sypulski at 724.352.1571, ext. 8271.