Daybreak Adult Services Brings Patients Joy & Caregivers Peace of Mind
Hospice has a variety of partners that help support patients in the community, but a particularly longstanding and special relationship has been with Daybreak Adult Services.
Christina Forbes, Director of Daybreak since 2008, says that the two organizations have been working together for “as long as she can remember.” The adult day center’s mission of providing attentive daytime care for seniors alongside opportunities for fun and socialization perfectly aligns with Hospice’s goal of cultivating joy, comfort, and positive experiences even at end-of-life. “We find that time at Daybreak can bring patients happiness that they might not have otherwise,” Christina says. “It takes some of their focus off of illness and related worries.”
Hospice often refers patients to Daybreak when they would benefit from additional social time, or when it would be a help to family caregivers who need a break. “Hospice nurses visit and communicate with our nurses,” Christina says, “and both groups communicate with the family about their loved one’s status each day. We have a bus service– we provide transportation – we can dispense medications and offer daily care procedures, and we also serve meals and snacks. Every day we have activities, and patients get the opportunity to interact. Even for hospice patients, as long as they can still be engaged, it works.”
Margie Donnelly is the daughter and caregiver of hospice patient Helga Ebel, who has been attending Daybreak for four years now. “She entered hospice about six months ago,” Margie says.
Helga copes with some end-of-life challenges, such as dementia and vertigo from strokes, but the Daybreak program has been supportive for her and for Margie’s role as caregiver. “Because of the way my house is laid out, and her mobility issues, I can’t shower her at home,” she says. “Her hospice aide visits at Daybreak and gives her a full shower once a week.”
Robert Hawkins’s mother Alberta attended Daybreak for almost ten years, even as she was in and out of hospice during the last few years of her life. “When we first started her at Daybreak,” he says, “she had been receiving in-home care, and her world had become very small. Almost immediately she started to come out of her shell again. Just the opportunity to get out of the house more regularly and have social time made a huge difference. We can’t say enough good things about the Daybreak program.”
Alberta also loved the Daybreak activities. Before her dementia became too advanced, she participated in gardening, music, dance, and quilting, to name a few. As a family caregiver, Robert appreciated the scheduled time to grocery shop and catch up on things around the house. He says he was consistently impressed by the facility staff and had peace of mind in his mother’s care time there.
The long-standing partnership between Frederick Health Hospice and Daybreak Adult Services offers patients not just care, but meaningful connection, joy, and support for families during some of life's most challenging times
