Daily Care

Photograph by Harvey Finkle

At the Skagit Adult Day Center, in Burlington, Wash., people who are mentally or physically disabled spend their time engaged in discussions of current events, playing volleyball with balloons, or making crafts while their family members receive a break from caring for them.

Since Winifred Bradford, a retired local doctor, founded the nonprofit center a decade ago, it has grown from a two-day-a-week program in a church basement to a Monday-through-Friday operation in its own building. Fifteen adults usually participate on any given day, with the center serving about 50 people annually. The center is the only organized adult day-care center in the northwest part of the state.

The center’s goal, says Kristi L. Huffman, a nurse who is the center’s site manager, is “to provide a safe, warm, and caring environment for vulnerable people while giving their caregivers a much-needed respite.” The center hopes that by providing such care, it can help lengthen the amount of time that adults with disabilities can live at home instead of moving to a full-time–care facility.

While the average age of participants hovers around 75, the center has served people ages 19 to 96 with a variety of ailments, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia.

The center does not require payment for its services, but it does suggest a voluntary contribution of $7 per hour. The rest of the group’s $178,000 annual budget comes from donations from individuals, as well as from foundation and government grants.

Here, a center staff member hugs a longtime program participant, while another staff member from a neighboring health organization reads a story aloud.