Here is your July 2004 Newsletter from AM Warner Insurance <"http://www.amwarnerinsurance.com/newsletters/2004/704.txt"> AM Warner Insurance July Newsletter *********************************** Table of Contents: Answers on Adult Day Care 2004 Alzheimer Memory Walk *********************************** *********************************** Answers on Adult Day Care Most long term care policies offer home and community care. Included in the community care is Adult Day Care. You may be wondering, exactly what is an adult day care center and what sort of things do they provide? I recently visited a local Adult Day Care Center to get those answers for you. I visited with Rev. Ron Loughry at the United Ministries Adult Day Center. Adult Day Centers can be non-profit or owned by a corporation. The number of participants they have is based upon how they are certified. The intent of an adult day center is two things. For the person receiving care, it gives him an opportunity to get out of the house for the day so he can receive some mental and social stimulation. For the caregiver a much needed break from providing care so she can go shopping, go to the doctor or just sit around and relax. The United Ministries Adult Day Center is in a home-like, warm atmosphere. There is a meeting room with comfortable chairs to sit in for discussions, news and television; a kitchen eating room and an activity room. There is even a nurse there full time for medication management. My Personal Experience The day I visited was Western Day. Since a majority of the participants at this particular Day Center have memory related issues (Alzheimer's or Dementia), they relate very well to things they grew up with. One of those things is Westerns. Everyone, staff and participants, were dressed in western garb. There were cowboy and horse pictures hung throughout the facility. Ranger Ron had just made an appearance to perform and lead a western sing-a-long. There was a little campfire area set up in the midst of the activity room with a "horse" waiting for the big cattle roundup. The typical day at the Adult Day Center consists of breakfast for those who get there early. There is some discussion and positive poem reading. After sitting for a while, it's good to get moving, so the participants move to the activity room for a little exercise. Most of these are done while sitting in a chair. After something to get the blood moving, the participants go back to the discussion room for the news. There is a weather board displayed in a corner of the room that provides a visual medium of the weather. The news is acted out with anchor people and special reports. There are reports on gardening and other items that may be of interest to the participants. Many of the news topics utilize props to entertain and stimulate the participants. After lunch, there is little time to "rest your eyes" as Rev Loughry says. The afternoon is taken up with cultural activities. There may be visits from a performance artist, games, crafts or any number of different things done during this time. Help is provided so that no participant feels left out. Each person may be at a different level of ability and those are all adjusted for so that each person receives the help they need while still being encouraged to use their abilities as much as possible. We Encourage Your Visit and Volunteer Activity I was pleasantly surprised at the environment and the amount of activities that were done to engage the participants and keep their mind working. It is a structured day that helps people know what to expect and keeps them comfortable in knowing the routine. Many of the participants are there 3 or more days per week. This allows their spouses time to get household chores done, go shopping and spend some time alone relaxing. I would encourage you to stop by an Adult Day Center and visit. They are always looking for volunteers on a part time basis to help with activities. *********************************** *********************************** 2004 Alzheimer Memory Walk Join AM Warner Insurance in the Memory Walk September and October is the time for many of the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walks. The Memory Walk is one the primary fund raiser for this organization. AM Warner Insurance participates annually on the Louisville, KY memory walk committee and in the walk. We feel that it is important for us to fund research into Alzheimer's disease as about 50% of the claims on long term care insurance policies are for memory related disorders. Last year, the Evan's study, "Alzheimer's Disease in the US Population: Prevalence Estimates Using the 2000 Census," found that the total number of Americans affected by Alzheimer's disease will increase 70% by 2030, from 4.5 million today to 7.7 million.* We would like to encourage you to participate in the Memory Walk and include the Alzheimer's association in your annual giving. GE Capital Assurance recently made a $1 Million donation to the Alzheimer's Association Reagan Research Institute -- an organization created in 1995 by President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan to broaden the spectrum of approaches to developing Alzheimer treatments. We will ensure any donations you would like to contribute get to your local chapter. You may mail your checks payable to the Alzheimer's Association to: Allison Warner AM Warner Insurance Alzheimer's Memory Walk 4704 Miles Lane, Suite B Louisville, KY 40219 Please join us for the Louisville, KY walk on Saturday, September 11, 2004. It will take place at Riverfront Park at 9:00 am. You can reach the Alzheimer's Association if you need help at www.alz.org or their 24 hr. support line 800-272-3900. * "Alzheimer's Disease in the US Population: Prevalence Estimates using the 2000 Census", primary author is Denis A Evans, MD, Of Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, IL. *********************************** *********************************** AM Warner Insurance provides services in the Kentucky and Indiana area. We are specialist is long term care insurance, medicare supplements, and life insurance. Please let us assist you with your insurance needs. We will treat you like family! For questions, comments, or to request a topic for a future newsletter please contact the AM Warner Insurance E-newsletter Staff at newsletters@amwarnerinsurance.com *********************************** *********************************** End of Newsletter