Thursday 28 June 2012

About Adult Day Centres


Adult day centres (ADC) are specialized services for frail seniors and adults with physical and cognitive disabilities who live independently in the community, by themselves or with a caregiver. The main goals of these programs are to enrich the lives of participants and their families by promoting health and independence through therapeutic programming, medication and nutrition monitoring and caregiver support. These interventions help seniors to remain in their own homes and communities for as long as possible.

In Vancouver, there are a total of 14 adult day programs, operating at various sites across the city. Participants are referred through the Ministry of Health by case managers who work from Community Health Centres (CHC) or Community Health Areas (CHA) across Vancouver. Most often, clients are referred to the ADC closest to their home for social, physical, cognitive or mental health issues or caregiver respite. Days of attendance range from one to five days per week, depending on the needs of the participant and availability at the ADC. Transportation to and from the centre is provided by families, the ADC or by HandiDART. If you know of anyone who could benefit from Adult Day Program Services, please call Central Intake at: 604-267-3414.

Our two ADC are contracted by Vancouver Coastal Health through South Vancouver Neighbourhood House: South Vancouver Adult Day Centre is located at 49th and Kerr and South Vancouver Adult Day Centre at Beulah Gardens is located at the Cedars Assisted Living at 5th and Rupert. Both of our sites operate five days per week, from Monday to Friday and offer distinct programs in several languages. Our hours of operation are from 9:00am-4:00pm; program hours run from 10:00am-2:15pm. Our staff come from a variety of disciplines, including therapeutic recreation, education and gerontology. Each site has a registered nurse who is responsible for admitting and medical monitoring. We also host volunteers and students from various educational institutions, such as UBC and Douglas College.

A typical day at our centres includes morning social time with coffee, tea and a light breakfast; two separate exercise programs emphasizing aerobic exercise, strength training and balance, which are divided according to client ability level; mental aerobics; a three course lunch; and various other programs that reflect the culture, interests and ability levels of our particular clients. We also arrange outings and muticultural events throughout the year.

All of our programs are designed according to the principles of person-centered care, which coincide with the objectives of the Association of Neighbourhood Houses (ANHBC) and emphasize the following:
  • ·      Programs focus on the whole person, recognizing and capitalizing on past, current and future interests, skills and abilities.
  • ·       Participants are understood within the context of family, background, culture, ethnicity and gender.
  • ·       Participants are seen as active contributors, not passive recipients, within the ADC and larger community.
  • ·       The majority of programs are developed to be client and small-group specific, rather than generic.
  • ·       Facilitation of small groups enables staff to recognize individual interest and encourage client participation.

As an organization, we consider it a privilege to serve our clients and their families and to provide opportunities for our participants to contribute to our community according to their abilities. We welcome your input and encourage you to contact us at our centres with any comments or questions that you may have. 

Tuesday 26 June 2012

Welcome to our Blog


Welcome to the South Vancouver Neighbourhood House Adult Day Centres (ADC) blog. We have created this blog as a place where our program participants, their caregivers and the general public can access information about the following topics:

  • ·      Updates from our two sites: South Vancouver Adult Day Centre and South Vancouver Adult Day Centre at Beulah Gardens
  • ·      Seniors health information
  • ·      Client and caregiver resources and events
  • ·      Programming ideas for families and other seniors groups
On the right side of this page you will find a place to sign up to receive email notifications of new posts, two lists of links for seniors programming and caregiver resources and a translation option. We recognize that our participants and their families speak a variety of languages and will do our best to provide appropriate resources, to the best of our ability. Please be assured that we have considered privacy for our blog and will not post names or pictures of program participants unless we have obtained informed, written consent.


Keep posted for regular blog posts, starting with information on adult day centres and their programs.