An adult day center in the Castleton-area offers its 55-and-older guests life-enriching activities, faith-based routines, individual-focused care … and smiles.
According to Diana Keely, executive director of Still Waters Adult Day Center, 7160 Shadeland Station Way on the campus of Castleton United Methodist Church, smiles and laughter are contagious at the center.
“The guests uplift one another and support each other even on a tough day,” Keely said. “I love watching two ladies walking down the hallway to lunch together holding hands; the one man redirecting the other man that is having a difficult day; the guest that begins crying while petting the therapy dogs, remembering the dogs she had in her past.”
Still Waters opened in 2011 and is one of two adult day centers in Indianapolis focusing exclusively on seniors, according to Keely. The center has 32 registered guests that visit two to five times a week. Still Waters has a 1-to-4 staff-to-guests ratio, with an RN and LPN on staff and all direct caregivers CNAs.
Guests can participate in activities that promote physical, sensory, cognitive, social and spiritual health. Still Waters has received grants from the Central Indiana Community Foundation to provide art, music and expressive therapists weekly, Keely said. A grant from the AARP helped the center create a community garden, and guests have enjoyed watching it grow, she said. Church volunteers and members of community organizations visit regularly to provide programming.
Many guests come from faith-based backgrounds, and the center opens with a daily devotional and a blessing before lunch. One guest is an ordained minister and leads a brief monthly church service. Guests also can attend a monthly service in the Prayer Chapel, are invited to sing along to hymns and can participate in Bible study.
“Many of our guests are not physically or mentally capable of the activities that used to be such an important part of their lives,” Keely said. “However limited they are, their faith and Christian upbringing are still a very important part of who they are today, and we make every effort to respect and support them right where they are, both mentally and physically.”
Still Waters Adult Day Center is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Fees are based on full-day and half-day attendance. For more, visit stillwatersadc.org or call 317-284-0837.
