This commentary is by Erica Frost, a resident of South Hero.
I’ve been following the discussions in Montpelier around the governor’s proposed budget, how we will support “vulnerable” Vermonters, and the critical shortage of nurses and caregivers.
What I feel has been missing from the conversations is a true understanding of how vital on-the-ground programs are to Vermonters.
In 2019, I lost my mother to frontotemporal dementia. All new diagnoses bring steep learning curves, but dementia brings additional challenges. There is no cure, no need to consult with surgeons, and definitely not a playbook to guide you.
In addition to accepting that I was now the caregiver for my mother, along with my elderly father, I needed to figure out care for all 24 hours in the day. As a full-time employee, and someone who wanted to keep my mother in her home as long as possible, I was thrilled to learn about the Adult Day Program.
Adult day care is an essential piece of the survival kit for so many touched by dementia. For the 25,000 unpaid primary caregivers in Vermont, it can be one of the only ways we are able to squeak out time for ourselves — to get a flu shot, grocery shop, have lunch with a friend, do taxes, go to a doctor’s appointment, clean the house or spend time with other dependents with less urgent needs.
It also allows those caring for a parent to remain in the workforce.
Since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, three of the 14 Adult Day Programs in Vermont have closed. This is upsetting because we need more options, not fewer. Several of those that remained open are operating under capacity due to lack of staff.
To an outside observer, working at an Adult Day may seem like an easy job, but I can assure you it is one that requires patience, attention to detail, flexibility, a good sense of humor, and deep compassion for others. The work is physically and emotionally exhausting and, as a society, we show little respect for caregivers.
Adult Day Programs need to boost their wages to ensure that they have enough staff, and that staff who do commit to working with our family members are compensated fairly for the vital work they do. For people with dementia and their families, Adult Day provides a safety check-in, the promise of a meal, community, and a source of engagement and friendship.
Social and engagement activities facilitated in Adult Day programs fight back against the effects of isolation and the “use it or lose it” concept. When I left Mom at the Adult Day program, I knew she would be safe, there was a nurse on site, there were people trained to interact with Vermonters with dementia, and she was excited to spend time with friends.
Our parents do so much for us and as a daughter I needed to do all I could for my mother too. I smile when I think back to the time I visited Adult Day with Mom and her friends as they cheered and sang in response to our look back at the first moon landing. There was joy and levity accessible to everyone in the room that echoed and warmed my heart.
As policymakers comb through the budget, I urge them to remember all Vermonters, from newborns to those at the end of their lives. They all deserve safe, caring, appropriate environments. And all of us who are and who will be caregivers need options for our loved ones.
The mission of the Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living is to “Make Vermont the best state in which to grow old or to live with a disability — with dignity, respect and independence.” Adult Day programs are a critical component and must receive increased funding to ensure they are available for all who need them.
