Written by Alison Johnson
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Riverside’s Starlight program provides respite for family caregivers and their loved ones suffering from “sundowner’s syndrome.”
[dropcap]Like many patients with dementia, Kimberly Walter’s 76-year-old aunt often stays up late or gets up to wander around in the middle of the night. Walter can’t go to bed until her aunt does, and even then she tends to sleep fitfully. Her caregiver role is physically and mentally exhausting, but she wants to keep her aunt out of an assisted living facility or nursing home for as long as possible.[/dropcap]Thankfully, the Newport News resident has found some relief through a unique—and, so far, under-utilized—overnight adult care program run by Riverside Health System. The Starlight Program is open twice a week, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Wednesdays and Sundays, offering supervision, activities and meals for people who are active or disruptive after dark.
“When she’s there, that’s when I get a very good, peaceful sleep,” Walter says. “They are wonderful with her. I can take a break from being on alert, from always worrying if she’s going to get out of bed and fall and hurt herself. I am doing the best I can, and they are like angels to me.”
Starlight, housed on the campus of the Warwick Forest senior community in Denbigh, is designed for adults who still live in a home setting but are restless at night due to “sundowner’s syndrome”—a common side effect of dementia—incontinence or other issues, although it does have beds for anyone who wants to doze off.
“At home, they’ll often get up and start doing something just to stay busy, like rearranging furniture,” says Patty Heath, director of Riverside Adult Day Services, which includes Starlight. “Some people with Alzheimer’s don’t really sleep for days, which can be really difficult for caregivers. Here, if they want to be up at 2 a.m., we’ll pretend that it’s daytime. We’ll play board games, cards, do arts and crafts or some stretching or ball toss games—anything to keep them safely occupied.”
The program includes dinner, an 11 p.m. snack and breakfast, and staff can give medication and help with basic tasks such as feeding, dressing, toileting and bathing. Families can use the service as often or as infrequently as needed and choose how many hours a participant stays each time; there are no set contracts, just a required 48-hour advance notice. The cost is $68 for a full night or $50 if a participant leaves before midnight, which is not covered by insurance.
Riverside requires participants to undergo a medical exam, tuberculosis test and staff assessment before enrolling. Patients must be medically stable—not in need of hospital-level care—and some, such as those who are very combative, incapable of following simple instructions or unable to bear any weight, may not be eligible.
With similar programs appearing in other parts of the country, Heath hopes the two-year-old Starlight program can begin to attract more families and possibly expand to additional nights each week. “We feel like it’s a really valuable service for the families that do use it,” she says.
It is for Kimberly Walter, who is her widowed aunt’s only local relative. She began caring for her relative, who like Walter is a Korean immigrant, last March. Although her aunt has become belligerent and sometimes physically abusive at home, she doesn’t act out at Riverside. “It really helps,” Walter says. “I don’t know how long I can do this, because I know she’s getting worse. She’s so different from what I used to know. But I love her, so I’m not giving up.”
[quote]With similar programs appearing in other parts of the country, Heath hopes the two-year-old Starlight program can begin to attract more families and possibly expand to additional nights each week. “We feel like it’s a really valuable service for the families that do use it,” she says.[/quote]For more information about the Starlight Program, call (757) 875-2033 or go to riversideonline.com and search under “Lifelong Health.” To learn about other resources for caregivers, as well as some financial assistance available for respite care, call the Peninsula Agency on Aging at (757) 873-0541 or find a local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association by calling the organization’s 24-hour helpline at (800) 272-3900 or visiting www.alz.org.