Easterseals Celebrates Family Caregivers All Year Long

“Dementia changes your whole life,” Mary Gaffney, of Smyrna, says.

Mary and her husband, Donald, who have been married for 60 years, loved to travel. Unfortunately, Donald’s dementia diagnosis brought those fun-filled adventures to a screeching halt. It was a hard adjustment for Mary, who was suddenly thrust into the role of full-time caregiver and quickly became overwhelmed. That is when her daughter found the Easterseals Adult Day program, and their lives became much brighter again.

“Easterseals has been excellent. I am glad it is available. Caregiving is a lot. Dementia is very disruptive,“ Mary says. “The atmosphere at Easterseals is great, and the staff has a great attitude. They really care for the participants.”

Donald spends five days a week in the Adult Day program, where he enjoys arts and crafts, chair exercises, and singing. Recently, the program held a fair where participants enjoyed golfing, bowling, and other activities.

“Donald has peace there and is so excited to attend the program. They make him feel important. They keep the participants busy,” Mary says. “When he is there, I run errands, go to my own checkups and care for my aunt. I also try to relax.”

National Family Caregiver Month is celebrated in November each year; however, Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore focuses on supporting families year-round. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, there are more than 59 million unpaid family caregivers in the U.S. One of the greatest needs of these caregivers is information about services and programs in their community that may be helpful to them as a caregiver for children or adults with disabilities, chronic or terminal illness, or the elderly.

Like all Easterseals services, adult day services are comprehensive and individualized to meet each client's needs, family-focused to meet each family member's concerns, and goal-oriented to enhance independence. The adult day care program offers a break for family caregivers responsible for a relative who is unable to function independently but does not require 24-hour nursing care. 

Through Easterseals Lifespan Respite Program, which provides funds to support family caregivers, Mary was able to take advantage of respite dollars to take a trip with family.

The Caregiver Resource Center and Lifespan Respite programs are partially funded by the Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities through the National Family Caregiver Support Program, Title III-E of the Older Americans Act.