By River Garden Senior Services
More than 2 million Floridians currently provide caregiving for family members, a number that is expected to grow significantly during the next five years. Rich Demico and his wife understand the related challenges all too well.
Demico has been a caregiver for his 82-year-old mother Barbara for a year and a half. He moved Barbara into the couple’s Bartram Park home when they realized her Alzheimer’s had worsened.
“We immediately realized she was in worse shape than we thought,” Demico said. “She was living alone, and a friend of hers was kind of hiding how badly she was doing, how much help she needed.”
Those first few weeks were an adjustment for everyone. Demico, who is retired, and his wife who still works, spent four to six weeks helping Barbara acclimate to her new surroundings – cooking for her, cleaning for her, establishing a new sleeping pattern and getting caught up on all her medical needs.
“It’s a constant thing where we have to be there at all times with her,” he said. “My wife and I play tag team on the weekends and in the evenings just to make sure one of us is awake and available for her.”
But when Barbara fell in the garage and broke her nose, they realized caregiving was a greater responsibility than they expected. Rich’s wife soon found River Garden Senior Services and discovered the Adult Day Program.
“She needs someone to be with her constantly, and we can’t do that,” Rich said. “River Garden was quite the lifesaver for us.”
The Adult Day Program is a safe and engaging space for seniors who live at home but need daytime support and social connection. Each senior receives a personalized, flexible schedule tailored to their needs. They may participate in a range of daily activities from chair exercises and ceramics to baking and bingo.
Caregivers typically begin by scheduling two days per week but often increase that as their loved one becomes more comfortable, said Melanie Ruggiero, director of home and community based services at River Garden. The program operates Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“When we have caregivers come in and interview with us, they are exhausted,” Ruggiero said. “Over time, we notice that they look rested.”
Barbara now attends the program the full five days per week. For Rich, it’s been life-changing. The time allows him to run errands, prepare meals and handle household responsibilities he can’t manage when Barbara is home. But the biggest change, he says, has been in his mother.
“She’s made a lot of friends; she’s very sociable,” Rich said. “I think it’s a distraction for her when she’s engaged with her friends and staff, and that takes her mind off things.”
Ruggiero says River Garden prides itself on being a safe place that caregivers trust. She says their goal is to make every person who walks through their doors feel understood and valued.
“No matter what their diagnosis is, we meet them where they are,” Ruggiero said.
The Adult Day program is accepting new clients. Caregivers also now have access to a new drop-in program, where they can drop off their loved one for a four-hour window on short notice if something comes up.
Ruggiero says without respite, caregivers eventually burn out, which is why support systems like River Garden’s are so critical.
“It’s been a huge help because we have the peace of mind knowing she’s being taken care of, and that it’s something she enjoys,” Rich said.
To learn more about River Garden’s Adult Day Program, caregivers can visit RiverGarden.org.
