Adult Day Health Care

CONTACT INFORMATION: Locations in Herndon Harbor, Lewinsville, Lincolnia and Mount Vernon. Open 7 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Monday - Friday.
703-704-6048 TTY 711

Marjorie Burris, DNP, MSN, RN
Adult Day Health Care Program Manager

Why You Should Care About Person-Centered Care

Submitted by apearc on Tue, 07/03/2018 - 11:05 am

“Person-Centered Care” is the practice of creating a holistic health care plan that incorporates the complete needs of both an Adult Day Health Care participant and their family. It takes into account their spirituality, emotional well-being, medical needs, physical health, likes and dislikes, hobbies, habits, personal history and more.

It’s very important for anyone investigating long-term care options for their loved one to ensure the service is employing Person-Centered Care, especially since it is mandated by state and federal agencies for Adult Day Health Care Centers.

“We survey our families every year and we always score about 100% satisfaction. So, we thought we were already doing Person-Centered Care — and doing it well. And we certainly were,” said Jennifer Robinson, Adult Day Health Care program manager.

“But the process we took to certify our Person-Centered Care as a formal practice enabled us to elevate our program dramatically,” she said.

Doris shares her musical talents at Herndon Harbor Adult Day Health Care
Herndon Harbor Adult Day Health Care participant Doris shares her musical talents.

As a result of the Person-Centered Care mandate, Adult Day Health Care implemented more tools aimed at capturing valuable information on participants that goes beyond their medical chart, such as:

  • 20 Questions which capture interests, hobbies and favorite things. “It revealed to us that one of our participants, Doris, loves to play piano. So, every week in Herndon, we have ‘The Doris Show’ where she plays piano for the Center. Leading activities gives a sense of purpose and accomplishment to participants,” Jennifer said.
  • Social History that records personal history — where the participant grew up, their culture and past occupations, and more. “We’ve had fashion shows featuring traditional dress from other countries, cooking activities around different cultural foods and more. It gives the participant the chance to highlight their life, culture and personal history,” Jennifer said.

Even the standard health assessment screening was elevated to capture greater detail on the participant’s mental, emotional and physical capabilities, so activities can be optimized for their needs.

“This input is reflected in each participant’s experience at our Centers every single hour of every day," Jennifer said.

Through incorporating a person’s life story into their care, they can truly thrive.

Learn more about Adult Day Health Care’s unique Person-Centered Care approach by coming in for lunch and talking with one of our certified dementia care experts.

Fairfax Virtual Assistant