For more than 40 years, a local nonprofit has helped keep the elderly and the developmentally disabled moving and engaged through their day services. The organization’s work helps keep clients in their homes and cuts down on hospitalizations. 

Adult Day Services of the Tri-Cities has been around since 1982, and employees who work there call it a “hidden gem,” said Mika Maya, social work coordinator.

The nonprofit’s specialty is adult day health, providing a range of health-related services from therapies to wound care to medication management.

Adult Day Services also provides activities and a meal to clients from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at 10 N. Washington St., Kennewick.

It used to go by the name Elder Day Care and was once a part of Trios Hospital, but now it’s an independent organization. Its board still reports to the Kennewick Public Hospital District. 

In homes, out of hospitals

Most of Adult Day Services’ 60 to 80 daily clients benefit from the adult day health services, meaning they participate in physical or speech therapy programs, medication management and more. The nonprofit can help with disease management for conditions like diabetes and skilled foot care. 

Adult Day Services can help slow the progression of a disease, like Alzheimer’s, and in some cases help clients see improvement. The staff coordinate with state and mental health case managers and family members to care for clients.  

The main mission is to “keep people well so that they can live in their own homes longer,” Maya said. They work to keep clients healthy and active so they aren’t so reliant on family members or caregiving staff. Clients also get to eat and socialize. 

Melinda French, director of nursing, said that clients attending Adult Day Services may be able to delay or avoid transitioning to a higher level of care. The service provides respite for family members and caregivers while supporting clients in a way that helps delay or prevent placement in an adult family home or assisted living.

Because Adult Day Services staff work closely with clients and see them regularly, they are able to identify concerns early, often before they escalate to the point of requiring emergency room visits or hospitalization. The organization also serves as a safety net for individuals living alone.

French recalled a client who lived alone when he first started out with Adult Day Services. Maya said that when he didn’t show up, they would call a family member to check in. When staff saw that he couldn’t live alone for much longer, they worked with the client’s family to find an assisted living space. 

And when the client developed sepsis related to kidney stones, staff assisted in arranging his surgeries. On another occasion, Adult Day Services staff identified early signs of pneumonia based on changes in his breathing.

“We have probably saved that guy’s life a couple of times,” French said. 

Clients at Adult Day Services participate in a drum fit exercise, one of many different activities the adult day care and day health program provides to the elderly and the developmentally disabled.

| Courtesy Adult Day Services of the Tri-Cities

Day to day

All clients must be over the age of 18, and each gets a morning snack and a hot meal at lunchtime, provided by Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels. They’ll participate in an activity, like an exercise or games, or local entertainment groups will come in to perform music. 

During group activities, individual clients will head to an adjoining room for therapy programs. 

Most clients attend between two to five days a week, and though three works best, some clients need five full days, French said. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Adult Day Services works to keep the client load a little lower, since those are days to focus on clients with dementia.

French estimated the nonprofit serves at least 150 clients a year.

Though many clients are in need, they are constantly cycling through the nonprofit. Sometimes clients come for shorter lengths of time – for example, patients who have had a recent hospital stay might come to get back on their feet. Others stay on for years. 

Most of the staff have been working there for years, too, French said, and the consistency is good for the clients. She has been with the nonprofit for 21 years.

There are just under 20 employees, and most wear multiple hats – some in administrative positions are also certified nursing assistants, French said. Some of the staff are bilingual. They’re always looking for volunteers and fill-in nurses. 

As the staff have gotten to know the clients over the years, many end up wanting to go the extra mile for those they serve. 

French’s job, too, has gotten easier over the two decades she’s worked there. Adult Day Services “feels like my second home,” she said.  

Cost for service

While Adult Day Services is connected to the Kennewick Public Hospital District, the nonprofit is self-funded through donations and grant money. The district’s board annually approves the nonprofit’s budget and provides support and assistance where necessary, according to the district’s website.

Clients can pay privately or through the Department of Veterans Affairs or Medicaid.

For those paying privately, there’s a sliding fee scale. 

The nonprofit doesn’t bill for individual services either – the whole experience is a bundled price, whether clients are receiving health services or just day care services. 

About 80% of clients are through Medicaid, while 20% are through private, grant or respite funds.

Adult Day Services also has a basement with donated equipment, from walkers to wheelchairs. Though supplies are limited, if a therapist recommends a certain piece of equipment for a client, Adult Day Services can allow clients who can’t afford the equipment to check it out from their storage.

Adult Day Services: 10 N. Washington St., Kennewick, 509-586-5731, adultdaytc.org.