It’s a familiar story: Nancy, a grandmother of six, lived alone. Most of her family had moved out of town, and her mobility and health were becoming a concern. Her two daughters worried about her, and her doctor advised against her continued isolation.
Then she found Easterseals NH Adult Day. “My daughters wanted me to come here,” explained Nancy. “At first, I didn’t want to, but then I thought about it, and I thought I’ll try it. You know, when I first walked in you could tell, it was just comfortable. I met the people here, and every instructor here is just wonderful.”
Nancy smiled and talked with enthusiasm about the Adult Day program, commenting on the many activities she enjoys, from word games to exercise to adaptable “volleyball” that is played indoors. She especially likes the intergenerational group visits with youngsters in child care at the Easterseals NH Early Childhood Center of Excellence. “Sometimes I get to rock the babies, or sometimes I get to play with the toddlers. It’s so much fun.”
“And the people! The instructors are really wonderful, every one of them, she added. “And all the people you meet here – it’s just a great place.”
In fact, Nancy is so positive about the benefits of Easterseals NH Adult Day that she has become an unofficial “ambassador” for the program. “When I have a potential participant in my office who is hesitant, I ask if I can go get a friend to talk about it,” said Sue Reynolds, Director, Adult Day Services. “I can talk all day long about what Adult Day does for people, but if I can have Nancy explain what it has done for her, that makes an impact.”
She added that, “with Adult Day, you don’t know what you don’t know. I feel like sometimes Adult Day has a stigma, where people think, ‘I’m not going to that place.’ Just give it a try, because it does promote friendships, it does promote unity and diversity.”
Nancy sums it up this way, “My daughters were worried about me, and now they don’t worry. They know I’m in good hands. And I’m happier now, for sure.”
Nancy attends the Adult Day program two days a week and is on a waitlist to be able to attend three days. Additional funding from private sources is needed to enable others like her to attend more often.