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Daybreak program
helps elderly stay in charge
Each person involved in the Barron County Office on Aging's Daybreak program is armed with two things: a name tag and a smile. Some are staff members, some are volunteers, and some are actual participants. After walking into one of the Daybreak sessions, though, the trick is determining which people belong in each of those categories. Daybreak is celebrating 10 years of service with an
open house in Barron and Rice Lake this week through Friday, May 2. Daybreak is
designed to relieve the pressure felt by caregivers of Alzheimer's Disease
and dementia patients. The group meets four days a week from 9 a.m. to 2
p.m. On Mondays and Fridays, Daybreak commences at First United Methodist
Church in Barron. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Daybreak takes place at the
Rice Lake Senior Citizens Center. "We want to
help people stay in charge of their lives as long as they can," says
director of the Office on Aging Charlene Oftedahl. Participants are
picked up by bus or van at their homes and dropped off at the Daybreak
site for the day. They gather for coffee and a snack right away in the
morning. Just like men who meet at the coffee shop every morning, the
group then discusses current events for the day. The discussion is
followed by a segment of time reserved for body movement. "They hate the
word 'exercise'," points out Gloria Vaughn, the Office on Aging's
community services supervisor. Vaughn oversees the Daybreak program. The participants
begin by stretching and contorting their bodies to get blood flowing to
their extremities. They continue with a variety of games, some of which
include tossing a ball around the circle of participants. The Daybreak
members thrive during the sing-along period after body movement. They
relish the tunes of their glory years, such as "Red River
Valley," "Take me out to the Ballgame," "Dixie,"
and "On Wisconsin." Even if they can't keep up with the rhythm
of the piano, the group members' lips are lively as they mouth the words
to the tunes. By then most
members of the Daybreak group have worked up an appetite, so they stop for
a lunch provided by the Barron County Nutrition Program. Following lunch
members may settle down for a short nap, a game of cards or dice, or even
a walk with one of the Daybreak volunteers. Daybreak also celebrates
birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. "We create any
reason to have a party or celebration," admits Vaughn. Weather permitting,
Daybreak coordinator Shellie Lyste says she likes to venture out with the
group on excursions in the community. The group has even taken train rides
and pontoon rides. "There's
nothing we can't do within reason," says Lyste. "If we're
flexible, then they're flexible, too." Lyste, a certified
nursing assistant, couldn't manage the program without the help of her
assistants and volunteers. Senior aides Jane Sinclair and Eldon Logan fill
the other two staff positions, and nearly 50 other volunteers from the
area lend a hand to assist Lyste. Each staff member, volunteer and
participant wears a name tag to show that everyone at Daybreak is valued
as equal. Vaughn credits
Lyste with maintaining a wonderful program for the participants, and says
much of the success of Daybreak is due to the coordinator. Vera Komro of
Chetek, whose husband Fred attended Daybreak for more than a year from
January 2001 to April 2002, echoes Vaughn's sentiments toward Lyste. "She's just
great with the program," claims Komro. "She does her best, and
she's very compassionate." Story time Lyste
marvels at the experiences she's encountered as coordinator. Lyste says
she soaks in any wisdom she can from the elders she aids four days a week.
"The things
you learn from them are unreal," Lyste attests. "They're aware
of a lot of things." Richard, who lives
north of Barron with his wife, is a vital member of Daybreak. He's not shy
about his opinions of the war in Iraq, and he shares endless stories about
farming as a young man in Durand, Ill. Richard recalls the Hoover
presidency when he gave a dime for a loaf of bread and sold a cow for $20
and two pigs for $5. His vivid
recollection of a recent runaround with a varmint in his garbage can at
home makes one realize why he's a favorite at each Daybreak session. Richard's wife had
come in the house one day to tell her husband that there was some sort of
critter in the garbage can in the garage. Richard investigated to find a
huge opossum rummaging through the leftovers. Richard snatched him up by
the tail, he says, and his wife drove him away from their place to
dispense the animal. Richard held the opossum by the tail out of the
passenger's side window until the couple got far enough away to release
it. "He had the
most beautiful set of teeth I ever seen in my life," Richard grins
mischievously. "I was jealous." These chuckles
provide Lyste and her staff with all of the reward they need during each
patience-testing session at Daybreak. A chance to live
again Fred Komro began
attending Daybreak just one or two days a week, but soon increased his
attendance to four days a week. He loved the music, his wife Vera says,
and the volunteers allowed Fred to take some ownership in the sing-alongs
by letting him pick out songs and be a leader of the group. The program proved
to be a blessing for Vera as well. "It gave me
time to have some recreation and catch up on housework," she
explains. "And just to be by myself for a while." Vera says her
husband was not one to sit still for too long, so he constantly needed her
attention. Daybreak was the perfect outlet that allowed her more freedom. Freedom for both
the caregiver and the participants is exactly the purpose of the program,
says Vaughn. "It gives
people a social outlet, a place to feel good about themselves," she
explains. "Otherwise their worlds really shrink." Vaughn also adds
that for all of the benefits of the program, it is difficult for some
caregivers to relinquish the duty of caring for their spouse. "One kind of
commitment in marriage is health," says Vaughn. Some caregivers don't
want to let their spouses down by having another person care for them. But
the smiling faces at Daybreak are the only proof needed of the positive
impact it has on the families of Alzheimer's and dementia patients. "Caregivers
can feel comfortable that in those hours they're with us, they don't have
to worry," assures Vaughn. Coping with the
disease Vaughn says scientists have made progress in researching the
causes of Alzheimer's, but there is still no cure or prevention for the
disease. However, if medical attention is sought immediately upon
recognizing symptoms, medications can be taken to plateau the disease,
Vaughn added. "It's a
disease that doesn't just affect one person, it affects the whole
family," states Vaughn. "But it's not a hopeless disease. Who
they are and what they are is still there." Daybreak is
certified to handle 15 members at one time, but Oftedahl says the group
typically numbers 10-12. There is no direct county funding for the
program, so Daybreak relies on donations to keep costs down. At $42 per
person per day, the cost of the program adds up in a hurry. "We want to be
affordable to everybody," Oftedahl comments, "and we're not
going to turn anybody away." Daybreak was helped
off its feet in 1993 by the Brookdale National Group Respite Program for
Alzheimer's families. The foundation provided start-up money for the
Barron County program, and Daybreak became the first program of its kind
in northwestern Wisconsin, according to Vaughn. Now other counties model
their programs after Daybreak. Daybreak accepts
private donations, as well as donations from church groups and civic
organizations. Daybreak also accepts volunteers. For more information about volunteering for the Daybreak program, contact the Barron County Office on aging at 537-6225. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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