Participants at the Catholic Charities Adult Day Center share time and conversation, part of the center’s efforts to foster engagement, community and dignity for older adults.(Submitted photo)
It’s not hard to see God’s face in the seniors who receive the time, personal presence and conversation with the staff and volunteers of the Catholic Charities Adult Day Center in Milwaukee’s Washington Highlands neighborhood.
At least that is how the staff and volunteers see it when they connect with these human wellsprings of experience, perspective and wisdom whom they serve every Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m..
“I just feel very blessed to be in their presence and have them,” said Annette Jankowski, Director of Adult Day Services for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. “They are so insightful; they can teach us all so many different things.”
“It’s such a joy to see people leave more energized than when they came,” said volunteer Kathleen Cepelka, the now-retired superintendent of schools for the archdiocese.
“The beauty of being with these people is the opportunity to be totally at ease. There’s no pretense. There’s no judgment.”
Jankowski said the center, which opened at its current location at 1919 N. 60th St. in 1997, mostly serves older adults. Many of them have memory impairment or other age-related conditions.
“We provide that safe haven for them to come and engage in a variety of different activities, helping to keep their mind alert and their bodies physically active,” Jankowski said.
That mental alertness often happens through activities and interactive games that stimulate not only the brain but the competitive juices of their guests.
“We do a lot of Yahtzee. We do Uno. We do Scrabble, Rummy 500 with the group, other card games,” Jankowski said.
The center provides holistic care for seniors of all faiths through prayer services, entertainment through movies, books and musical performances, and even simple conversation that connects the mind to memory and keeps the brain active.
“Being here week after week, I’ve learned the topics that are (positive mental) trigger points for people. There’s one woman who comes every other week who will just fall asleep if someone isn’t trying to get her to talk. I learned she went to Messmer High School. I can get her talking about her years at Messmer and it’s an automatic stimulation for her,” Cepelka said.
“Another great topic is where they used to shop. I grew up in Milwaukee, so I knew the old Schuster’s, Boston Store and Gimbels. They light up to just recall their childhood trips to those places. I’ve learned some very practical topics that will get them engaged.”
“The more that they talk with their other peers in these conversations, keeping that engagement going, that verbalization, forcing the brain to work, it really helps deter (mental) impairment as long as you can,” Jankowski added.
She said her staff, all of whom have worked together there for 15 or more years, also provides a certain level of medical and personal care as well.
“The staff are all certified nursing assistants,” she said. “They can help with bathing. They can help with toileting assistance and medications. We have that little extra higher care level that we are able to help people with.”
Jankowski shared that their services open the door for children who take care of their older parents to work or engage in other key aspects of their lives.
“Maybe they live with their spouse or their adult children, a variety of different family dynamics,” Jankowski said. “They can continue to do their day-to-day activities. Some of them might be working or just have other commitments.”
“It’s a delight to be able to tell someone’s daughter who comes to pick her mother up (they) had a really good day today because we were able to engage her in conversation for a good hour,” Cepelka added.
“The children are so grateful for this because they’re, in some ways, too close to the situation. When an outsider can come in and just engage in topic after topic that stirs memories, it’s really amazing.”
Jankowski said that the smaller size of the Catholic Charities Adult Day Center allows for a true sense of community between them and the seniors who share time with them.
“We’re small enough where you really can get that small group interaction, and really have developed relationships and companions with the others that come to our program,” Jankowski said.
Both Jankowski and Cepelka conveyed that seniors who come will encounter a place where God is present in a plethora of avenues.
“God is full of love and God showers that love upon all of our members here,” said Jankowski. “They just shower that right back at us.”
“One of my favorite expressions is the Imago Dei, the image of God. Often when I go home, I reflect on the faces of the people I’ve seen,” Cepelka said. “I don’t have to look anywhere beyond these faces to see that Imago Dei.”
