Iredell Adult Day Services Hosts Ribbon-Cutting to Celebrate Adult Day Health Certification

Iredell Adult Day Services – a nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for older adults, vulnerable groups, and their families – will host a ribbon-cutting to celebrate its Adult Day Health certification. The event will take place on Wednesday, June 26, at 4:30 pm at 502 Brevard Street, Statesville, NC. The public is welcome to attend by calling 704.873.0720 or emailing [email protected].

This certification – which joins IADS’s existing Adult Day Care certification – will permit the center to offer healthcare monitoring, education, assistance, and counseling to participants and their caregivers through daily nursing supervision. It will also allow the center to provide services to a greater number of frail seniors who need support during the day, granting their caregivers much-needed respite and the opportunity to live and work more freely.

Participants at Iredell Adult Day Services will now be able to choose between having Adult Day Care services or Adult Day Health services, as determined by their individual needs. Adult Day Health is intended to enable aging, disabled, and handicapped people to achieve and maintain an optimum level of independence through supportive services. Certification is coordinated through the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and the Iredell County Department of Social Services (DSS).

The Adult Day Health program promotes social, physical, and emotional well-being through health care services, program activities, and use of appropriate community resources. To accommodate IADS’s new clinical care, the center has created a private treatment room and hired a nurse, Marilyn Scott, RN, who has extensive healthcare experience in Iredell County. As part of the monthslong certification process, the State of NC also had to conduct an onsite evaluation and inspection of the facility, as well as review new policies and procedures.

Now, IADS is equipped to provide physical assessments of participants, monitor blood pressure, help administer medications, change dressings, and consult with the participant’s primary care physician, among other services. The nurse can also provide education to participants and families about cardiac conditions, diabetes, respiratory diagnoses, and other relevant disease-specific needs.

An additional benefit of Iredell Adult Day Services’ Adult Day Health certification is that the center can operate as a satellite location for Carolina SeniorCare, a PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) organization based in Lexington, NC. According to NCDHHS guidelines, Iredell County residents fit into the service area of Carolina SeniorCare, and typically, participating residents have had to travel to Davidson County to visit the PACE

clinic or its day center. With IADS’s new certification, local participants have a much closer option for healthcare, activities, socialization, and other standard PACE services.

This combination of enhanced care, convenience, and local team members was the primary motivation behind the decision to pursue Adult Day Health certification. Debbie Howell, IADS program director, shared, “From its early days as ElderCenter, IADS has been a mainstay of care excellence for vulnerable adults and people with disabilities and mental cognition issues. We’ve long been considered Iredell County’s leading provider of affordable adult day services, and we’re now even more robust in what we can offer participants and families so that they’re able to thrive independently. Their social, physical, and emotional well-being are our ongoing focus.”

Thomas Chang, EveryAge’s senior director of home and community-based services, agreed, saying, “When EveryAge entered into a management agreement with IADS last summer, we wanted to use our experience in senior care and senior living to bolster health and wellness opportunities for people in Iredell County. We’re excited to have put that in motion and to be creating a more cohesive care environment that minimizes hassles and maximizes family satisfaction and quality of life.”

To learn more about Iredell Adult Day Services, call 704.873.0720, email [email protected], or visit www.IredellAdultDayServices.org. To discover more about EveryAge, visit www.EveryAge.org.

About Iredell Adult Day Services

Originally founded as ElderCenter, Iredell Adult Day Services was created more than 35 years ago when a study revealed that Iredell County’s biggest need was for supervised adult day care. The Iredell Council on Aging (COA) initiated a community-wide call for resources to meet this senior care void, and First Presbyterian Church of Statesville responded, along with other local churches, the Department of Social Services, and grants from the United Way and the State of North Carolina. Contributions from businesses and individuals continue to be instrumental in the care that IADS provides as a nonprofit organization.

Iredell Adult Day Services cares for participants from 7:30 am till 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Adults of all ages are welcome, and IADS specializes in senior care for memory-impaired diagnoses such as Alzheimer's, dementia, TBI, stroke, and other learning disabilities. The secure, comfortable setting is host to a range of activities, including Bingo, arts and crafts, games, puzzles, movies, and music programs. Day trips are also planned on a regular basis. While at IADS, participants are offered breakfast, lunch, and a light snack, all approved by a certified dietitian. Family members can rest easy knowing that their loved ones are enjoying social interaction and positive stimulation, along with professional supervision and care. They are also free to work and run errands during the day and still have their loved ones at home with them each night.

For more information, visit www.IredellAdultDayServices.org.

About EveryAge

EveryAge is an industry leader among not-for-profit senior living organizations, with 16 programs that serve more than 2,000 older adults in North Carolina and Virginia. Programs include continuing care retirement communities, affordable housing communities, adult day programs, and PACE (Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly). As a faith-based organization incorporated in 1961, EveryAge maintains a commitment to seniors by offering lifestyle options that allow individuals to focus on what’s truly important and what matters most to them. For the fifth year in a row, EveryAge has been certified as a Great Place to Work™ Company. For details, visit www.everyage.org.

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