More people can take advantage of a Langley program that provides specialized care and recreation for adults with physical or mental limitations, now that the average wait time has been trimmed from seven months to just a few weeks.
Adult Day Centre program director Kelly Brown said the Fraser Health Authority is funding additional spaces in the facility located at 202 Street and 56th Avenue.
“It’s a good time to apply,” Brown said.
By adding five more spots a day, the centre can accommodate up to 38 people daily, and the wait list has been reduced to four or five weeks, Brown estimated.
“Before Christmas, it was almost seven months,” Brown said.
She expects demand for the centre services will continue to rise, but the number of available spots probably won’t keep up.
“Will we get more spaces? Probably not,” Brown said.
She predicts a wait of “up to four or five months” in the future.
About 80 per cent of the people who attend the centre suffer from some degree of dementia, while the rest have brain injuries or conditions like MS or Parkinson’s disease.
Most come once a week.
If people don’t want to wait for FHA funding, they can pay the private rate of $80 a day, Brown said.
Currently, the centre has 13 staff plus three students and three volunteers.
It offers general health monitoring including blood pressure and medication tracking and a variety of activities that include games, arts and crafts, sing-a-longs, trips and outings.
In addition, the centre offers a hydrosound bathing program with a hydraulic lift for people who would otherwise be unable to get in and out of a tub.
“We’re the only one [assisted bathing program] in Langley that is open to the public,” Brown noted.
For $15, anyone with mobility challenges can make an appointment to come in and have a bath.
READ MORE: Seniors home care, day programs expanding, Adrian Dix says
In January, a report by the B.C. Seniors Advocate said adult day program access in the province declined by six per cent last year, adding up to a 17 per cent drop in program days delivered over the past two years.
Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie said there was, as a result, a 23 per cent increase in wait list times.
The senior services monitoring report also found the number of seniors receiving home support services decreased by 1.4 per cent, despite a four per cent increase in the B.C. population over 65 and a five per cent increase in those over 85.
“The reduction in home support clients is puzzling, as we should be seeing those numbers increase,” Mackenzie said.
The Langley Adult Day Program is operated by the Langley Senior Resources Society from Monday to Friday.
Clients attending through Fraser Health require an assessment from a Fraser Health Case manager.
The day program also welcomes privately funded clients, those who do not quality for Fraser Health services, or those individuals who are funded through third party agencies such as ICBC, WCB and DVA.
It can be contacted by phoning 778 328 2302 or emailing: daycare@lsrs.ca.
– with files from Black Press Media
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