BAROCO'S WEST SPRINGFIELD SERVICES FOR OLDER ADULTS

     As with the rest of our society, people with developmental disabilities are getting older.   Advances in medicine and more humane living situations are allowing  people to live much longer than they had in the past.  Many people who may have participated in supported work are reaching retirement age and need an alternative that is geared toward ensuring that they maintain an active and enriching lifestyle.  In recognition of this demographic change, Baroco has added Services for Older Adults (SOA) components to all of its programs.   

   The benefits of maintaining an active lifestyle have clearly been demonstrated for older people.  With this in mind, we have developed the components of our Services for Older Adults.  These services are individually developed taking care to ensure that we recognize some of the limitations individuals may have while at the same time ensuring that each person's day remains both challenging and rewarding.  

    Our Services for Older Adults are designed to provide individual spaces so that each area is activity specific. This enables the people in this program to easily identify which activity is happening.   Communication and activity boards are used to describe the day’s events, as well as giving visual reminders to some who may be having memory problems.   Activities in the SOA are well defined to promote routine and structure that have been demonstrated to assist in retaining and improving memory.

   Most importantly, the Services for Older Adults are designed to ensure that the people being served in this model find it enjoyable.  Sing-a-longs, theme parties, cooking and baking, bingo and old time music are among some of the activities included in the day.   Additionally, some of our older participants volunteer in their community with the satisfaction of giving back to their community while at the same time enjoying the social interactions that naturally occur during the volunteer activities.