Adult Day Services Newsletter - Fall 2023

NEWSLETTER

FALL 2023

ADULT DAY SERVICES

Photo from Disabilities Awareness Month

- CLOSINGS Thursday, Nov. 23 Friday, Nov. 24 Monday, Dec. 25 Tuesday, Dec. 26 Mon. Jan 1

Christmas Program Friday, Dec. 15 Doors open at 12:30 pm with concert beginning at 1 pm. Max 2 guests per participant, please.

Participants have enjoyed their first year of the outdoor recreation area A year after the blessing of our outdoor recreation area, our participants have enjoyed this space to its fullest. This area is ADA compliant and has special equipment that is wheelchair friendly, and includes a water feature.

During the summer months, Fridays can be the most fun day to attend as swimsuits are donned and out to the water feature we go! There are also walking paths, basketball courts, chair swings and sensory equipment. A few favorites are the sound drums and hanging sound bars along with a healthy game of basketball.

A delight for our seniors is the circle of porch swings for visiting on those gorgeous weather days.

Angel Tree Angel Tree for Christmas donations and ministry needs will be up beginning Dec. 15

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2023

Enjoy a look back at 2023 at Adult Day Services as they celebrate holidays, group activitities and the 2nd year anniversary of our new building!

A YEAR IN REVIEW

Valentines Dance

Our participants and staff were ready to head into the weekend showing their support of the Chief’s big game. Go Chiefs!

Community activitites are always fun! Participants enjoyed a trip to Tanganika.

Participants and staff love to find crazy outfits for Spirit Week!

A pet snake came for a visit!

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Participants love to visit with therapy dogs, Zeke and Ivan, when they make their weekly visit to the program rooms.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

We enjoy having our volunteers come and bring their talents to our participants. We appreciate all they do.

RayLynn Carr, ADS Receptionist Happy 2nd Anniversary to ADS in their new building!

RayLynn grew up in Emporia, and moved to Wichita more than 11 years ago. Coming from a background in mental health, RayLynn has found ADS to be a good fit for her. She obtained a master’s in counseling from Colorado Christian University, fulfilling a natural desire to be involved with people dealing with mental health issues and watching them grow in their journeys.

Kona Ice helps participants cool down on a hot summer’s day.

Check out our fabulous costumes for Halloween!

We have a new face at our front desk! Vickie Hollenbeck has been our long-time guardian of the doors but has given up the post and moved to an office with new duties. We now have the smiling face of RayLynn Carr to greet participants, families and guests each day.

Participants donated pumpkins to the zoo for the animals to snack on.

She has enjoyed the past 11 years staying at home with her children, Alex, 15, and Jude, 8, whom she has with husband, Matt. ADS has been a blessing for RayLynn as she enjoys interacting with participants as well as watching the relationships between staff and participants.

Welcome RayLynn!

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Volunteer Opportunities Multi-purpose room lunch assistance Program room assistance Food service assistance If interested in volunteering, call our volunteer coordinator at 316-264-8344, ext. 1261.

Reminders ACTIVITY FEE Please remember that we have an activity fee of $25 per month so that participants can enjoy various off-campus activities.

Please call 316-942-2008 to check on the balance in your participant’s account. Please send these monthly.

GROCERY BAGS NEEDED In support of our monthly community impact project with Our Daily Bread Food Pantry at Catholic Charities, we are asking you to send with your participant any plastic grocery bags that you might be stockpiling at home. Participants will use these when they volunteer at the food pantry each month.

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A friendly face at Adult Day Services Once the smallest baby ever born at Wesley Medical Center, Salatiel “Sal” Esparza is now one of the biggest personalities at ADS..

In 2000, Angelica Esparza was carrying twins when her water broke just 16 weeks into her pregnancy. She recalls that doctors advised her to terminate the pregnancy or “you will have a tough life with him.” Angelica and her husband, Salatiel, chose to continue the pregnancy. She was able to hold Sal and his twin brother in utero for another five weeks before delivering them at just 21 weeks. Sadly, his twin did not survive.

Sal weighed just one pound at birth, and had a host of health conditions due to his premature birth, including cerebral palsy. He spent five months in the neonatal intensive care unit at Wesley before going home.

Doctors continued to paint a grim picture for Sal, Angelica says.

They said that he would never eat normally. He did use a feeding tube for nearly four years, but has been on solid foods ever since. They also said he would never walk. So, Angelica tied his little legs to hers with sheets and walked with him so he could learn. Today he uses crutches to aid his mobility.

“I don’t feel like it has been a tough life with him at all,” says Angelica, who has been Sal’s vocal advocate all his life. “I’m not going to let anyone treat him like he is no one.”

After graduating from Wichita South High School, Sal continued his education for a time at Levy Special Education Center. The 23-year-old has been a participant at Adult Day Services for about one year.

When looking for a day program, Angelica says their first priority was Sal’s safety, and to find a program that could cover all of his needs. As an example, Sal is “allergic” to heat and can have seizures due to low sodium, so direct care providers at ADS monitor him closely when the weather is hot.

Whether with his family in Wichita, visiting extended family in Mexico, or hanging out with his friends at ADS, Sal is always the center of attention.

“I like talking to people and I like playing Uno,” Sal says. When the weather is nice and participants are outside at the recreation area, he says he “likes to sit on the benches and talk to people.”

Christmas at Adult Day Services Christmas at ADS is a very special time. We are looking forward to our upcoming program on Friday, Dec. 15.

To put this event on, we rely on staff like Melissa Ferraiz, activities coordinator, and Sandy Cole, direct care support staff, who are primarily in charge of creating this delightful event.

In describing how the performance comes together, there are words thrown out such as chaotic, rowdy and anxiety. However, they both laugh slightly at this as it truly is a most favored event. This program started when ADS was located on West Central with participants riding buses to a larger, off-site venue and performing there. Now, we are nearly outgrowing the multi-purpose room with last year being standing room only.

Practice begins in early November, and happens right after breakfast; if a practice is missed, Melissa and Sandy hear about it!

Christmas Program 2023 Friday, Dec. 15.

Doors open at 12:30 pm with concert beginning at 1 pm.

Max 2 guests per participant, please.

The song list is fairly consistent year after year as these songs were handpicked by participants; they are performed a cappella with hand bells as accompaniment on certain carols.

Many holidays are celebrated at ADS, but Christmas is the most magical. It may feel like chaos throughout practices, however, every day of, the troupe comes together, with sounds of joy ringing out. The building is filled with love and Christmas spirit.

Our seniors also play a key role by either singing their own carol or reciting

a poem; it varies from year to year. Again, Christmas magic is present and our families get to enjoy a celebration with each other. As we approach the holidays, know that your loved one is in for a treat if this is their first time!

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Why Adult Day Services?

ADS is a place to enjoy meeting new friends, having fun, enjoying recreational activities and more!

Do you know someone who would benefit from joining the ADS family? Do you have a recently graduated student with a diagnosis related to an intellectual or developmental disability?

ADS provides stability and routine along with recreational fun and socialization! We are a program for adults ages 18 and older, and have so many unique individuals as part of our program.

with Alzheimer’s, dementia or, loneliness. This particular program is great for caregivers as well so that they can remain healthy in the community while caring for their loved one.

A unique feature of ADS is participants receive two hot meals a day at no extra cost!

Funding for this program is either through state waiver services or a private pay sliding fee scale based on income.

Call today to find out more about Adult Day Services at Catholic Charities.

316-942-2008

We also have a dual license for a senior program for those 55 and older who are coping

Meet Chryseis Chryseis Casanova has been a part of Catholic Charities for nearly a year. As a member of the Catholic Charities’ marketing and communications team, she focuses on building a pipeline of future clients for several of the organization’s ministries by providing marketing services for Adult Day Services, Cana Counseling, Foster Grandparent Program and Immigration Services. She assists in building the overall awareness of Catholic Charities by taking a leadership role in social media management and partnerships.

If you know someone seeking services, please feel free to reach out to her at 316-264-8344, , ext. 1215.

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Activities ADS activities are participantdriven. This is their program so we feel they should have a big part in deciding what a day looks like here.

At the beginning of each month, a blank calendar is handed out and the participants and staff in each room work together to fill it in. We do have “Enrichment Weeks” that have been planned out by a staff member and for that week every program room takes part in the same activities.

This year we had Christmas in July with a snowball fight, a visit by Santa in his summer gear, and Santa and Mrs. Claus packing for a beach vacation.

Looking forward to January’s Artic Animals spotlighting two different animals with craft and discussing their artic life. These are a favorite for everyone. It allows staff to express creativity and participants love talking with each other about all the new things they are learning. It builds community!