“Christian Health Care Adult Day Services has Been the Best Thing for My Mom!"

“My mom loves coming to Christian Health Care Woodhaven of Wayne. I wish she had decided to join 10 years ago,” says Susan Bracco about her mother, Clementine “Tilda” Sesso.

When Mrs. Sesso’s physical health started to decline a couple of years ago, the 80-year-old moved into her daughter’s Wayne home. But Mrs. Bracco and her husband both work and their children are (in? away at?) school, so Mrs. Sesso was home alone much of the day.

“It wasn’t good for her mental health to sit at home by herself,” says Mrs. Bracco. “She needed to get out.”

As a Wayne resident, Mrs. Bracco was aware of Christian Health Care Adult Day Services and knew several people whose relatives attended the program. Mrs. Sesso was hesitant to attend at first, but her skepticism quickly changed. At Christian Health Care Adult Day Services, which has an additional location in Wyckoff, clients benefit from medical care, nutrition services, activities, socialization, pastoral care, exercise, and door-to-door van transportation. An individualized care plan, with input from the client’s personal physician, is developed upon admission so individuals receive the maximum benefit from the program. Medicaid is accepted. Financial assistance is also available through such programs as the Community Care Program for the Elderly and Disabled, Respite Care, New Jersey’s Gerontology Alzheimer’s Program, Veterans Administration, and long-term care insurance.

“Mom now attends four days a week,” says her daughter. “She loves it!”

As part of her care plan, Mrs. Sesso participates in physical therapy two to three times a week to help her build strength to improve her walking.

“She is definitely getting stronger,” says Aimee Restifo, LCSW, Administrator/Social Worker of Christian Health Care Woodhaven of Wayne. “The staff works in conjunction with the physical therapists to reinforce their instructions.”

“This program has been the best thing for my mother,” Mrs. Bracco says. “She’s so much happier. And I know that she is safe while I am at work.”