Adult Day Club Manager Creates Community for Dementia Patients

Colorful paintings adorn the room, their styles ranging from charming and clumsy to refined and soulful. The room’s occupants chatter, talking happily. A beanbag lies on the floor, a remnant of a particularly enthusiastic game of cornhole. In an adjoining room, there are a variety of musical instruments for those of all abilities, and an interactive table projector, where lively peers train their motor skills via games like Whack a Mole. The art studio in the next room is a well-loved space and a testament to natural lighting.

This is a beautiful, carefully curated place designed to entertain and educate those within. It is not a preschool, nor a youth program.

This is the Adult Day Club at Hospice of the Valley’s Dementia Care and Education Campus thoughtfully run and maintained by Sara Meins, MSW. Today, like every day, the building is an oasis, a space for those of advanced age with dementia to spend time with peers and enrich their lives.

“We need a community, and this is exactly what we’ve built here. We’re a social club just like any other,” said Meins, the Adult Day Club’s manager.

“Our commonality just happens to be a touch of dementia.”

A social worker, Meins found her way into dementia care and advocacy seven years ago, when she joined Hospice of the Valley. Initially, the idea didn’t appeal to her.

“I was always very child-focused. I worked for CPS as an investigator for a long time — and then my great-aunt moved in with my husband and I when I was pregnant with my first son,” Meins said. “Being a caregiver is hard and challenging and wonderful. You need a lot of support. It takes a village.”

The experience opened Meins’ eyes. After talking to a relative who had been employed with Hospice of the Valley, she decided to make the shift.

The Adult Day Club is filled with engaging and enriching activities for adults with dementia, activities proven to be beneficial for both their physical and mental health, such as Tai Chi, yoga and puzzles. Meins noticed that they were starting to isolate themselves, so the Day Club has been a successful way to get residents out of their shells.

A vital part of the Adult Day Club is the intergenerational connection.

“We have a preschool right next door and we interact. We call them our little neighbors,” Meins said. “We're the big neighbors. It's like we get to adopt 20 new grandchildren when we come here, which is so important because a lot of my members' families are out of state or they don't get to be close by. Everyone just lights up when the kids are here.”

Meins’ favorite aspect of the Adult Day Club is watching the relationships between the residents grow. The Day Club provides a safe space for care partners to receive the support they need and share their frustrations with others who understand.

“It is important to give that validation and to understand and to hear others who understand. You’re able to put it into words what you might not have been able to verbalize. It’s those ‘a-ha’ moments where my members will go, that's exactly how I have felt, but I didn't know how to put it into words,” Meins said.

“And just that feeling of acceptance and not being alone is just amazing to watch.”

Volunteers are an essential part of the Adult Day Club. Volunteers take on a variety of tasks

“We have something for everyone,” said Meins. “Whether you want to sit at the puzzle table and enjoy a puzzle and some conversation, or if you want to organize my whole craft room, there is something for everyone.”

Hospice of the Valley's Dementia Care and Education Campus welcomes new volunteers who want to make a difference in the lives of people living with dementia. Learn more about our volunteer opportunities at dementiacampus.org.

Written by the ASU Cronkite Agency