Lunalilo Home opens its doors to more island kuøpuna with stepped up services in adult day care. - Photo: Courtesy of The Limtiaco Co.

Lunalilo Home hosts an open house to showcase its adult day care center

By Liza Simon / Ka Wai Ola

Economic realities have made it so that gone are the days when a household member could opt out of a career and stay home to tend to the needs of aging kūpuna. This means home-alone elders face daily isolation, while adult children spend their workdays anxiously checking in to make sure all is well. “So to reduce the stress, we offer adult day care,” said Iwalani Ah Quin, an administrative assistant of King Lunalilo Home in Hawai'i Kai.

Because adult day care is very much a product of changing times, it is unfamiliar to many. This is one reason why Lunalilo Adult Day Care Center is holding an open house this month (see information box). Slots are available in the center, which opened on the main Lunalilo campus in 2004.

Unlike the original Lunalilo Home, begun in 1883 under the will of King William Charles Lunalilo to provide care for elderly Native Hawaiian residents, the day care center is open to all ethnicities. But the spirit of Hawaiian culture seems to infuse the garden surroundings of the 5-acre Lunalilo campus, said Ah Quin, who has worked there for 15 years. “There really is such an aloha spirit here that I feel like it's my home away from home.”

There are several levels of adult day care, each with its own set of care criteria and regulated standards for services. Overall demand for such services has in the last 20 years jumped exponentially nationwide, according to the National Adult Day Services Association.

The growth is partly due to the recognition that the simple experience of daily companionship, physical activity and mental stimulation can help forestall the onset of age-related dementia, requiring comprehensive therapeutic day care or an institutionalized setting.

Companionship is the focus of Lunalilo's day care center services, which are open to elders who can – with a minimum of supervision provided by Lunalilo staff – accomplish the majority of so-called Activities of Daily Living, or ADLs, like eating, walking and bathing.

A typical routine at the Lunalilo day care center includes light exercise (done while sitting), crafts, discussions of current events, scheduled presentations by school or community groups (this includes an occasional call from the Royal Hawaiian Band) and, of course, scheduled time for meals and snacks. Supervisory staff is on hand at all times.

According to Ah Quin, one of the activities that clients most appreciate is the chance to just wala'au or talk story. “They really just love to share and listen and have someone to listen to them,” said Ah Quin, adding that working with elders teaches the virtues of patience and helping others.

Lunalilo also continues to offer services at its long-term care facility. Tours of the facility will be given during the July open house.