UCP of the North Bay
Adult Day Program Update
June 26th, 2020
Helping Participants through Personal Connection
“UCP of the North Bay would like to reassure our participants, family members, and the community that we are doing everything possible to stay socially connected by providing online training and education programs that support the continued health and well-being of the children and adults that we serve.”
We have been holding online Family Night Meetings for parents and care providers of our Adult Day Program participants. The meetings have added value to our Outreach Program because they allow us to answer questions about safety, program schedules, activities, and possible re-entry dates. It has been nice for us to hear from family members that they support and appreciate our efforts since we had to close our site-based and community-based programs in March. We received some very nice feedback from the parents of one of our participants after our last meeting:
“As parents we have been so grateful for the staff of Gone for Good during shelter in place, checking on our daughter almost daily and organizing Zoom classes right away. You made sure she had a large tablet for her vision issues and added Zoom classes that were geared to her development. There is no question that your agency cares for its participants and truly wants the best outcomes for them. We thank you for your hard work and thinking of our daughter and us during a time when we know you are also worried about your own family members.”
We have been meeting every week with other Program Managers to discuss re-entry. We have set up a sanitation station at the front door where we provide masks, hand sanitizer, gloves, and a no-touch thermometer for temperature checks. Our program rooms and warehouses all have markings on the floor to remind and encourage maintaining six feet distances. We have also sent out a participant survey to gather information about preferences for returning or not returning to site-based and community-based activities.
We hosted our first monthly online Family Night Meeting to provide participants and family members information about what we are doing currently and our plans for a measured, slow re-entry. There were many commendations from participants and families regarding our online classes, as well as enthusiasm for getting back to some modified, site-based programming.
We welcomed another participant to online classes this week. She was very excited to see everyone again. It has been very difficult to engage all our participants online because of challenges associated with age, technology, and living situation, but every participant we reach has meaning for them individually and for the growth of our Outreach Program. We are pleased to have reached 48% of our participants online this past week. One participant was able to join our classes even though they are living temporarily at a rehabilitation facility. We sent out our Participant Survey last week and we are awaiting their replies. We are helping our participants complete surveys during our daily outreach calls and encouraging residential homes to help us with determining the needs of our participants as we prepare for modified re-entry.
We held our first Family Night Meeting online this week. We discussed initial re-entry plans and safety guidelines as we move closer to reopening. It also provided a forum for family members and caregivers to ask questions. We received very positive feedback and appreciation for our robust schedule of classes provided across all our programs. This week, we distributed a survey to our participants that will provide needed information about the willingness, needs, and ability of each participant to return to site-based and community-based services.
We have started to offer online social groups for our participants, giving them the chance to socialize with small groups of friends while still receiving support from staff members. We plan to expand the number of groups in the coming weeks. Our classes this week included how to prepare an emergency supply kit, what to do when there is an earthquake, self-advocacy by Tobias Weare from the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and a sing-a-long with a special guest violinist.
We held our second Family/Caregiver Meeting on Wednesday, June 17. Topics included our initial planning for re-opening following the guidance of North Bay Regional Center and the Department of Developmental Services. We emailed our Adult Day Program Survey to all participants on June 19. Their responses will give us an idea of their willingness, need, and ability to return to site-based and community-based activities. At the conclusion of the meeting, we awarded Amazon Gift Cards to the top 10 participants with the highest number of online classes attended in June. The next Family/Caregiver Meeting is scheduled for July 1 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
We have moved into the next phase of re-entry with our Group Supported Employment participants. Our staff members have worked to stabilize our business contracts in the interim and will support businesses as our participants return to their locations. We are focusing on meeting CDC and County of Sonoma guidelines for minimizing safety risks. This includes vehicle servicing, anti-bacterial cleaning, and passenger distancing. Face masks and touchless thermometers have also been ordered and will be available for use by our participants and staff members. Our work crews are returning to Friedman Brothers and Mobile Landscaping on July 6 and they are currently working at the Petaluma Recycling Center.
Individuals interested in Supported Employment should contact Tony Montoya, Supported Employment Manager, at 707-763-9807.
