senior citizen/adult day center or day care services near WDW?

[DisDbdw]

(i don't know if this is the right thread to post this)

i've been discussing with my parents about how i think we should go on a family vacation to WDW.
one of the major concerns that comes up with each conversation is my elderly grandmother.

she is currently still living with my parents, but her mental health (she has an alzheimer's-like condition) is not so good anymore, and she requires constant supervision, and assistance with daily living tasks.
my family has not been able to go on a family vacation for a few years due to this.

after talking to my parents and my brothers, we all seem to agree that we would much rather have my grandmother also come along for our family vacation. she has never been to WDW, and it really seems like a very senior citizen friendly vacation spot. we think she would have a good time, and my family would be much more at ease knowing that she is with us in Orlando, instead of at some care center at home, thousands of miles away.

however, we don't think she has the energy to spend all her time out at the parks, etc. with us.
my mom's concern is that either she or i will be spending most of the time during our vacation in our hotel room taking care of my grandmother.

my grandmother currently attends an Adult Day Program on the days that my mom works.
so we were thinking, maybe there are programs like this near WDW?

if anyone has any experience with Senior Citizen/Adult Day Centers or Day Care providers near WDW, could you please reply to this post or PM me?

another problem is that my grandmother doesn't speak any English at all. she only speaks Mandarin Chinese. it's been hard enough to find a Day Center with Chinese speaking staff in our home area, so i don't know if there happens to be any near WDW?

also, does anyone know if there is someone at WDW that i can contact to ask if Disney can refer me to any Adult Day Care service that is allowed to come onsite to the Disney Resorts to provide Care services in our hotel/resort?

i know all this kind of info is available for people who need Children's Day Care or Babysitting. so hopefully one of you can help me try to find out the info for Elder care also.

thank you everyone.
i hope someone can help me out.

 

[LizL]

For some reason I have a recollection of reading a statement that this agency also does adult sitting in-room. I could be wrong, but it might be worth a phone call. Fairy Godmothers 407-939-3463

The language barrier may be a problem - hopefully someone else will have some info for you. You might want to check with the tourist bureau: http://www.orlandotouristinformationbureau.com/

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I was going to make the same recommendation that LizL made, that you contact Fairy Godmothers. I know they will work with children of all ages (including infants). They will provide in-room services, as well as taking people to restaurants and even to the parks (as long as you let them know in advance and you cover the costs [most of the FGs have their own Annual Passes]).

In addition to the Visitor's Bureau, you might be able to contact "Splendid China", which is a theme park at the Western edge of Kissimme that is run by the Chinese Government. I don't have a URL for it, but I know that is the park's name.

 

[Puffy2]

How many are in your family?

I think you may be better off renting a villa (check into renting points from a DVC member to make it more affordable) next to Epcot (Boardwalk or Beach Club).

and take turns staying in the villa with your grandmother.

The change in surroundings may throw your grandmother for a loop and it's possible that the addition of having a complete stranger taking care of her may make her become very confused and (as in the case w/my grandmother) "freak out".

If you have a villa next to Epcot , it will be relatively easy to come and go - rent or take a wheel chair (I would suggest an ECV but she might not be able to drive it safely depending on her level of conciousness). You could all go out for short times together and take turns the rest of the time. With a villa, you could cook many meals there and you would have more room to spread out (and feel less like a prisoner). The more family members going the easier this will be to do. Good luck. By the way, you might contact disney's special needs dept. and ask if they have someone on staff that speaks the language that might be available.

 

[SueM in MN]

I agree with Puffy that renting a DVC villa might be a good option and you may find that doing that would help you to get along without any other assistance. Just by bringing her with to WDW, you will be changing her total environment (which is kind of confusing even for people without her problems). Having a place that is constant will help a lot and being so close to Epcot and MGM wold make it much easier to see the park in short doses. In addition, being able to have a "living room" where you can all relax and also eat some meals will malke things much more home-like and relaxing. If you are able to get anyone to help care for her, it would be better for the caregiveer to come to you than for you to bring your mom to another un-familiar place. As Puffy said, though, another unfamiliar face in an un-familiar place may be just too much.
The Fairy Godmothers might have an idea of other places to turn if they don't provide elder care themselves. Otherwise, you could try WDW Resort Special Reservations:
(407) 939-7807
(407) 939-7670 [TTY]

Here's another resource: http://www.csnetwork.org/firstcall.php3. All over the US, there are agencies (often called "First Call for Help" usually part of United Way) that have lists of community resources and how to hook up with them. One of the problems you may run into is that adult day care in most places has more demand than places to do it. So it is likely that residents of the area are on waiting lists and there won't be anything availabel for tourists. Good luck in your quest.