‘Just a nice place to be’

There was a lot of laughter this week at the first in-person gathering of an adult day program in Paris, back after being sidelined by the pandemic.

Article content

Operated by the Adult Recreation Therapy Center, and previously operated at Willett Hospital, the program is open to people who have had strokes, live with MS, Parkinson’s or other conditions; those who are socially isolated or frail; and those with mild cognitive impairment related to early dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Article content

The program will be offered every Thursday in the sunlit community room at Cowan Community Health Hub, giving County of Brant residents access to services closer to home.

The program “tries to target all the elements of health,” said executive director Lori Santilli.

“Being physically active, cognitively stimulated and socially engaged is the secret of life.”

If you ask Dico Spadafora, a program participant from Brantford, it’s “just a nice place to be.”

Article content

Diagnosed with dementia, the 61-year-old says “he likes to help people who can’t do it themselves.” His sunny personality helps fuel the group’s chatter and laughter.

On this first morning, group members pull random questions from a box, prompting them to reach back in their memories – Did you ever take dancing lessons? Who did you rock to sleep?

“There is a lot of reminiscing,” said recreation therapist Caroline Casey. “Maybe about a hobby they aren’t able to do anymore or things from their childhood.”

Santilli said they “try to focus on positive things.” When they discuss current events as a group, for example, they skip over the blare news and look for “happy stories.”

A session could include bocce ball, craft-making, meditation, a game of Rummikub, chair exercises, light weight lifting and music. Participants can also choose to do their own thing. An “independent box” is filled with crosswords, word finds, and books about fishing, gardening and other interests.

Article content

“We try to gauge what they want and look at the individual needs of clients,” said Santilli.

The roots of the Adult Recreation Therapy Center go back 50 years when the public health unit recognized the social isolation experienced by people with disabilities living at home.

In 1971, The Family Living Group was formed with the motto “We help ourselves by helping others.” The group moved to various Brantford locations over the years. In 1999 it was renamed Adult Recreation Therapy Centre. In 2015, he moved to a new building at 58 Easton Rd.

An aphasia program was launched there in 2001. Also available at the Brantford location are caregiver support services, functional exercise programs, foot care clinics, massage therapy clinics and various support groups.

Article content

The Adult Recreation Therapy Center also operates SAFE Zone, a falls prevention exercise program designed to help seniors remain independent and living safely in their own homes, from 18 locations, including churches and community centers, in Brantford and the County of Brant.

A new program, Compassionate Community Care Calls, is being launched with volunteers making regular telephone calls to seniors and those living with disabilities.

Referrals to the adult day program can be made by health care professionals, family members or individuals by calling 519-753-1882.

“It becomes a family,” Santilli said of the program, which she calls one of the area’s best kept secrets. “I love that everyone supports each other, in the good days and the bad.”

Article content