“For so many who come to this day care, the experience has been extremely positive” says,  Jigna Patel, the Program Director for Active Life Adult Day Care located at 17 Darrin Road, Dracut, MA 01826. As I walk into the day care I see so many senior men and women wearing a tri-color band across their shoulder.

“We are celebrating Republic Day here” says Jigna. The celebration provides opportunities for the seniors to showcase their talents. Some sing and yet others give speeches. Most importantly people are there to listen to them.  

Life for Indian senior citizens can be a drag in the US.  The seniors often live in homes where all the adults are working. The busy life style of the adult children and grand children leaves very little time for any attention to be paid to the seniors.  During the day the seniors are alone with very little opportunity for interaction. Lack of transportation access and language barriers are major  issues. After having lead a active social life this becomes very hard on seniors. For them the adult day care is God sent.

“Our president thought that the Adult Day Program exists since many years in Massachusetts but there was not a single program which can provide the activity and food, specific towards Indian community.  So she decided to start the  first Adult Day Care in the New England area  to fulfill this need for Indian Community” says Jigna Patel. 

What services do they provide? “We provide Nursing Services, Social Services, Physical and Mental Therapeutic Activities by our qualified staff.  We provide a  warm breakfast, afternoon healthy snack and full hot lunch which is prepared everyday on-site by our licensed chefs according to dietary guidelines. We also celebrate different Indian and American festivals throughout the year as part of our activity”

Given that many come from distant places how do they manage the transportation issue?  “We provide curbside transportation from home to center and center to home. We also provide complementary transportation for doctors appointments. Two days a week we take the clients to different field trips.. Field trips include visits to different temples, stores and parks” says Patel

While majority of their clients are Gujarathi, they do have several clients from other North and South Indian community.

Is there any financial assistance available to cover the cost of the services? 

“MassHealth covers all the cost for services and transportation for qualified clients for Adult Day Programs”, says Patel

The program has had a huge impact on its attendees. It is a place where they feel valued. There is much to do at the center and they do not feel alone.  The regular  therapies also make a big difference.

“We have many clients who had hard time walking before without pain, who now can walk without pain. Many clients were depressed and kept to them selves, but now they enjoy the company of other clients and are more open to talking and doing different activities” says Patel.

How can people learn about the services? 

 â€œInformation about our activities and services can be found on our Facebook page and our website www.activelifeadc.com We can also provide tours to new clients. Our Phone number is  978-322-0092 and 

email is activelifeadc@gmail.com"

It is indeed heartwarming to see the excellent care given to seniors at this center. Their glowing faces was a testament to that.