SENTARA PACE – Adult Day Care
The primary objective of Sentara’s PACE program is to provide the care necessary to allow the individual to remain at home–care during the day to free the primary caregiver’s time to work/live…
This program is truly ‘Adult Day Care’- not just for the dementia population. The range of participants who are served vary in terms of functional and mental capability. Activities are structured to meet the needs of each individual. Different areas are available to group participants, on occasion, with those of similar capabilities. The program also provides computer access in quiet area for those who possess computer skills.
Before- and after-care is available if it is warranted. The Inter-disciplinary Team (IDT) determines the care needed for their participants. If personal care is warranted, and no one is able to provide the care necessary to get the participant up and dressed and ready to ride the bus, and/or at the end of the day to get home, fed, undressed, bathed etc., PACE will provide it. The IDT meets daily and assesses the needs of their participants.
‘Companion/supervision’ care in the participant’s home is not provided. Home care is based on a medical need and as defined by Assistance with Daily Living (ADL’s) skills. The facility is open for early drop-off by a family member, if the PACE transportation comes later than the caregiver requires for work etc. Weekend service is very limited, but it will be provided if it is prescribed. If a participant is sick and can’t attend and, if the home caregiver calls and informs the director, someone from PACE will be sent to the house to check on the individual.
Other services available are:
- Manicures, pedicures and hair salon!!!
- Activities, quiet rooms, a place to nap.
- PT/OT on-site if prescribed by the IDT- again, the IDT assesses regularly.
- Clinic onsite can even provide IV therapy.
PACE also provides home safety upgrades, where appropriate, based on assessment by the IDT. This includes adding a ramp to the house for access, widening a doorway, adding safety bars in bathrooms; whatever they can do to keep the participant safe at home for as long as possible. PACE provides Durable Medical Equipment to meet the needs of the participant– including Hoyer lifts etc., for their home.
Finally, when a participant needs to transition to an actual nursing home, PACE assists with this transition. It is a last resort. PACE does whatever it can to keep the individual safe at home for as long as possible.
Ask Kit Kat – Animals Predict Earthquakes
Hook Law Center: Kit Kat, can animals really predict earthquakes?
Kit Kat: Well, it looks like the data on this subject is in a very preliminary stage, but on a small scale it does look as if there might be some merit to the claim. Mr. Martin Wikelski, director of the Max Planck Institute of Ornithology in Radolfzell, Germany has been investigating farm animals in the Marches region of central Italy for about a year. This is the part of the world where earthquakes have caused such destruction. Last August (2016), was the start of a series of earthquakes and aftershocks in the region resulting in $26 billion of damage and more than 300 deaths. However, the rural area provides almost an ideal place for study. Over the time period of October 2016-April 2017, there were 11 days with earthquakes having a magnitude of 4 or greater.
Mr. Wikelski’s findings are set to be officially released in a scientific journal in the near future, so he could not reveal too many specifics ahead of that. However, he has hinted the he has found data to support the assertion that animals do exhibit certain behaviors shortly before a quake. In previous studies he has conducted, he has found similar data. For example, from 2012-2014, he monitored goats and sheep on one of the sides of Mt.Etna in Sicily. ‘The animals predicted the major volcanic eruptions during these two years between four to six hours before. At night, the animals woke up and nervously walked around, and in daytime, they moved to a safe area’ where thick vegetation indicated no volcanic eruptions had occurred. This data from Mt. Etna seems very authoritative, because during that period of investigation, eight major eruptions took place. Based on that research, he applied for a patent in 2013 protecting his technique. It is called ‘Disaster Alert Mediation Using Nature,’ though the patent is still pending.
Mr. Wikelski’s monitoring devices involve a tag with a small solar panel. The devices can measure movement down to the second. They are relatively small, and do not impede the animals’ movements. They also can measure an animal’s magnetic direction, speed, altitude, temperature, humidity, and location. He tags different species to get a broader view of the entire spectrum of animal behavior. Stay tuned for further information. This area of scientific study is still in its infancy, but it will be potentially valuable to areas to prone to destructive earthquakes. (Elisabetta Povoledo, “Can Animals Predict Earthquakes? Italian Farm Acts as a Lab to Find Out,” The New York Times, Europe section, June 17, 2017)
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