The Adult Day Club at Dodge Park

When I first determined that my husband had dementia and needed to be taken care of, I looked around the city for an adult day facility. I went to visit them and some of them were in basement of churches and people just sat around the table. Some of them didn't start til 9 o'clock and I work and needed to be at work by 7am. When I went to Dodge Park, it was very homey. It felt like you were going into someone's livng room. The adults that were there were playing games and working on projects. I saw a big difference in other adult day facilities.

The activities were varied. They do some active things like yoga and bowling. They have scuplturing and painting. They also have word games and card games in the afternoon and singalongs. I like it there because there's a good variety of things. Some of the things my husband would say he doesn't like but then something would come up that would catch his interest. I really like that. The staff is very helpful in letting me know what I could do to help make my husband be comfortable and for him to have a good experience there.

I'm 77 years old and my husband is quite disabled. It was a help for me having him in Dodge Park part time. I also need to keep my social contacts as well so it's been very good for both of us. The program there is excellent. They have a variety of different things which are therapeutic and socially helpful. He goes 3 times a week. My husband was always a very social person and it was hard for him not to see people all the time. By going over Dodge Park, he meets new friends and enjoys their company. He enjoys all the activities they have. There's something different everyday. Most of the things they do are not only enjoyable but healthy in one way of another. He has a movement disorder so getting him to do things like painting and sculpting really helps his movements. He's able to do more. It makes him feel like he is able to do something.

My mom's case manager told me about Dodge Park. So I went there with my mother, and immediately I know it was the right place. They're very one-on-one. They really care about her, they love her, they will actually hug her and make her feel she's with her family. We go three times a week, but she gets up and gets dress and thinks she's going to Dodge Park every day.

She had a little bit of stranger anxiety during her first week. It was a little bit difficult even though she enjoyed it there. But they try to keep the activities structured. They give us a paper calendar for the month. They have art every day, Friday mornings they'll bake, and then there are certain days that they just do chair exercises. So they have a lot of music which they love and have them really moving. They let them do the best what they can. I love the place. It's been great ever since.

What really impressed me the first time I went to Dodge Park was just how warm, friendly, and caring everybody was. Everybody's smiling and it feels like home. My mother go there once a week. People always seem to know who she is when she walks in. They address her by name. People are very nice and good to her.

We just started in December. And although sometimes she's not overly optimistic about her situation and feeling pretty down, she's smiling and always in a good mood when I pick her up. So she's happy there. The place doesn't feel like an institution. It feels like going to a friend's home. It's a nice warm feeling. I'm very happy.

I didn't really know much about Dodge Park. I went to visit a lot of adult day centers, and there isn't a program around has the kind of flexibility they offer. The people are very caring. They have a lot of entertainment that comes in. They keep the residents busy. They play ping-pong, they do bowling, bingo and a lot other activities. The food is great, and it's probably the cleanest place you'll ever walk into. It is spotlessly clean everywhere. That's why everybody think so highly of it.

The day club at Dodge Park is excellent. The people who run it, Debbie and Kate, are absolutely wonderful. Thea, the activities director is excellent. The people are happy and everything was on time. I would usually pick up my mother around 7 o'clock to take her home. They provide a lot of activities for people with dementia. They care about the people. We've been working with them for over a year now. They are really good. The place is always very clean. Even the people who take care of the cafeteria or dining room are doing a good job. My mother said the food was good. It's also a secure place.