Posted on: Sunday, December 5, 2004
Day programs keep seniors active, connected
By Mary Kaye Ritz
Advertiser Staff Writer
When Mildred Arakaki had a stroke about three years ago, she lay on the floor in her home for about seven hours before being found by her granddaughter returning from school.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser "If I stay home, it's so lonesome," the 80-year-old Arakaki said.
What do independent seniors want to see more of to help cope with the graying of Hawai'i?
"They should have more (facilities) like this," said Arakaki, whose husband died 11 years ago.
At the adult daycare center, seniors can exercise regularly — Arakaki takes a walk around the grounds and does sitting aerobics — and hang out with friends like Sumie Umeda, 81, who brings in flowers from her garden every day. Arakaki often tucks one of Umeda's flowers behind her ear.
What to look for in a senior day program:
• Make sure it fits your needs: Places like Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center are for "well" seniors who are relatively independent; others have specially trained staff who can help with those requiring more assistance. • Check it out: Do you feel welcome during your visit? Did someone outline the activities and services, explain staffing? Was it clean and wheelchair accessible? Are the staff cheerful? Are participants involved in planning activities or making other suggestions? • Check references: Talk to others who have used it. • Try it out for three to five days, then ask for a conference. Source: The National Adult Day Services Association, (800) 558-5301, www.nadsa.org/ Programs like these help keep them young — or, at least, stem the backward slide of aging.
The need for community-based care will grow as Hawai'i seniors continue to live at home and remain relatively active as they age. Day programs, such as the Lanakila Senior Multi-Purpose Center operated by Catholic Charities and the city's district park programs help seniors like Pauline Mationg keep structure in their lives.
When Mationg clicks off her week's activities — "washing and ironing on Mondays" to "Filipino Club on Saturday, church on Sundays" — it's apparent that the 78-year-old widow plans much of her life around scheduled activities, including those at Lanakila. But many seniors say there are not enough affordable day programs available and transportation may pose problems.
Drusilla Tanaka, Lanakila's program director, said some seniors don't come as often as they would like because it's either too far or they can't get there.
Senior centers like Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center also struggle for funding, even though seniors find the facility's centralized services, opportunities to socialize, and structure for their days highly valuable.
At Lanakila, members choose from nearly a dozen daily activities to spend their time, and many seniors volunteer for leadership positions in the various clubs, such as those for sewing or Okinawan dance.
Daily attendance now ranges from 150 to 400.
Like childcare centers, adult daycare programs often are provided by profit and nonprofit organizations. Some programs, such as Honolulu's park sessions, are government-run, and many senior centers also are supported by tax dollars.
As Hawai'i's population ages, market demand may open up more facilities that are affordable and accessible.
Until then, seniors such as Minnie Mana, a jovial 82-year-old who helps lead the Lanakila sewing group ("I force them to work! This is a sweatshop," she says as the ladies around her titter), count themselves among the lucky ones.
"We need more facilities where the elderly can go freely and easily, for meaningful activities," she said. "So they won't come once and go away."
Now Arakaki's daughter, Jan Chun, drops her off at The Salvation Army's Adult Day Health Services. Arakaki looks forward to the day visits, sporting just the right shade of pink lipstick and perfectly drawn eyebrows when she goes.
Pauline Mationg, 78, takes part in numerous activities at the Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center. The center is among day programs that help older people stay active and in touch with others.
At the senior center, they talk about their children and days gone by, have entertainers come by, do arts and crafts, work on puzzles and "brainbusters," and even learn Hawaiian.
Finding the right site
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