It is with great pleasure and privilege to announce Dahl Adult Day Center – A WesleyLife Adult Day Center was selected for the 2014 Adult Day Center Award from the Iowa Adult Day Services Association (IADSA) on October 16, 2014. This award recognizes outstanding and innovative adult day centers throughout the state of Iowa. Criteria included creative programming, personalized/specialized services, exceptional programs/services and well-established community partnerships. The award is given to a center who is recognized as a model on which other centers can learn from as “best practice.” The center also must be able to demonstrate exceptional customer loyalty and satisfaction, in addition to positive outcomes in providing long-term care support.
“After reviewing the nomination criteria, it was very clear that the Dahl Adult Day Center was an excellent recipient for this award,” states Maria Jordan, Director of Dahl Adult Day Services. The services have been available since 1985 on the beautiful campus of Wesley Acres; the program then consisted of three participants. Today, the Center is still located on the Wesley Acres campus but in a newly built expanded area which opened its doors in 2013. With the expanded space the program now serves over 80 participants and still has room for more. The current space provides a vibrant environment that sincerely embraces older adults and their needs.
Dahl Adult Day Center provides meaningful and robust programming: community speakers, cooking classes, creative arts projects, exercise and music are just a few to name. Our team members get to know each participant – learning about their talents, hobbies and abilities – key information used to create the programming. At WesleyLife, our philosophy is to strive to keep older adults engaged in life. This philosophy is the core value that makes every WesleyLife program special.
Maria gives all credit to her professional team at the Center who truly makes each day a meaningful experience for the participants – adding to their quality of life. The team understands that attention to physical and mental health is essential for overall well-being (mind, body and spirit). This is why they offer compassionate care catered to the recreational and therapeutic needs of the adults participating in the program. The team consists of a registered nurse, a social worker, two event coordinators and five life enrichment partners.
Dahl Adult Day Center is more than a place for people to spend the day – it’s a true community resource for families. The unique part of being in the family of WesleyLife is that the participant and family have more options in services to meet their long term needs through the rest of our Home and Community Base Services, as well as our residential areas within our communities. Our attention to internal referrals within our agency has been a blessing for many families needing the assistance in continuum of care. Last year, Dahl Adult Day Center also reinitiated the “Caregiver’s Educational Sessions.” Through conversations with families it became evident concerns they currently were experiencing. The Center now offers professionals to educate and discuss the concerns on a quarterly basis. This has become a popular event and will increase how many times it’s offered to meet families’ needs.
Dahl Adult Day Center is also becoming active within the community by initiating and strengthening volunteer partnerships with other educational partners. Drake University, Des Moines University and Des Moines Public Schools are becoming regular sponsors for the program.
The Center is also supporting pilot projects to expand on the need of support and services for individuals and families with dementia specific concerns. Maria states, “There are so many additional opportunities to serve our participants and offer support and peace of mind to the caregiver. It’s an exciting time for us to reach these goals. The 2014 Adult Day Center Award gives us an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the good things happening in our Center!”
If you would like additional information about Dahl Adult Day Center – A WesleyLife Adult Day Center, please contact Julie Reed, Director of Dahl Adult Day Services, at 271-6646 or jreed@wesleylife.org.