Maureen Charlton, Director of Memory Support and Programming of Ingleside at King Farm, shares about the curriculum and structure of Ingleside Engaged.
Additional elements of the day include music, art, dance, exercise, special speakers and performances, campus walks, community outings, and more programming focused on engaging and delighting the participants.
“We have an art therapist who comes once a week, a dance movement therapist once a month, and I’m a music therapist and I lead music twice a week,” says Hewes. “The group always has lunch together, and within our rhythm of the day, we have a special program in the morning and a special program in the afternoon.”
The programming is developed using a strengths-based approach to appeal to the interests of the individuals in each group. “We’re always inspired by the members to develop new activities like virtual travel, poetry, creative writing, service projects, or games,” says Blagburn. “We customize our programs, designing them to fit the interests and strengths of our participants.”
Improving Well Being for Participants
Social day programs for individuals with cognitive impairment provide important respite for their primary caregivers. However, the positives for the participants themselves cannot be understated.
“Ingleside Engaged is of benefit to caregivers because they get a much-needed break. But the added benefit to the participants is that they enjoy a nice day with peers,” added Charlton. “The participants are contributing members of an intentional community, and are physically, socially, and cognitively engaged.”
Alice, the spouse of an Ingleside Engaged participant, details how the program stimulates and delights her husband.
Caregiver testimonials like these are common occurrences for the Ingleside Engaged teams. The staff members’ compassionate and expert care, and the community they build between the participants and families, are what make Ingleside’s social day programs’ shine.
As Charlton shares, “The caregivers talk about how wonderful it is—when they come in to pick up their loved one—catching them talking to and laughing with the others.”
Learn More About Ingleside Engaged’s Social Day Programs
Get information about enrollment for your family member in the Ingleside Engaged social day program available at our three locations: Ingleside at Rock Creek in Washington, DC, Westminster at Lake Ridge in Lake Ridge, VA, or Ingleside at King Farm in Rockville, MD.
*Source: Effectiveness of day care in supporting family caregivers of people with dementia, Dement Neuropsychol, 2019.
Ingleside Engaged’s social day programs at three Ingleside locations provide memory care that contributes to improvements in quality of life for its participants.
A 2019 comprehensive study of the impact of day care programs for persons with dementia found that participants experienced improvements in their self-esteem, well-being, quality of life, and health status. Plus, there were also positive changes observed in these adults’ overall behavior and sleep patterns. These favorable developments were attributed to the increased social, intellectual, and physical stimulation that day programs provide to adults experiencing cognitive impairment. *
These findings come as no surprise to the dementia care specialists who head up programming at Ingleside Engaged’s social day programs.
Ingleside’s three Directors of Memory Support and Programming—Maureen Charlton at Ingleside at King Farm, Amy Hewes at Westminster at Lake Ridge, and Marianna Blagburn of Ingleside of Rock Creek—see the positive benefits of their work every day in the lives of their participants. These Certified Dementia Practitioners strive to build communities of connection, learning, and meaning within the Ingleside Engaged programs at their respective locations.
Creating Community Through Ingleside Engaged
Ingleside’s social day programs for those with cognitive decline are grounded in an atmosphere of acceptance and inclusion, leaning into relationship-based approaches. The friendships and connections the participants make with each other in their small groups are the heart of Ingleside Engaged.
“What we offer is a social day club where people come for the day, and our goal is to support them physically and cognitively, with social engagement opportunities,” shares Charlton. “They come to be with a group of their peers to feel knowledgeable and supported.”
Blagburn agrees, “The group is so supportive of each other! Somebody may be having some recall issues and the rest of the group will respond with ‘it’s OK, take your time.’ The participants really do look out for each other.”
Stimulating and Customized Memory Programming
The Ingleside Engaged program curriculum prioritizes activities that encourage cognitive stimulation, creative engagement, and diverse experiences. All three Ingleside Engaged programs start the day with a morning group meeting, featuring conversation and connection. Facilitators guide the discussions, which feature topics like current events, social issues, seasonal celebrations, historic analysis, and more.