In recognition of Older Americans Month this May, we sat down with Kathleen Kolenda, Easterseals Vice President of Adult Day Services, who shares how Easterseals Senior Day Services is positively transforming the cognitive, emotional and physical wellbeing of the older adults we serve. Kathleen demonstrates how the theme for this year’s Older Americans Month, “Powered by Connection,” aligns closely with our goals and outcomes.

What are Senior Day Services?

As seniors age and begin to need more support during the day, many family caregivers turn to Senior Day Services as an affordable and more engaging alternative to assisted living, memory care, or home care.

At Easterseals Southern California, our Senior Day Services (SDS) program takes place in community center settings in Brea, CA and Redondo Beach, CA. Here, seniors gather during the day for socialization, friendship, meaningful activities, exercise, community outings, entertainment, meals, and extra support or supervision.

Many caregivers choose SDS because it is affordable, provides their parent or loved one with socialization and belonging, and offers a time of respite (a short-term break) for the caregiver.

How do Senior Day Services foster connections?

The power of connection is evident each day with seniors attending to be with their friends and enjoy each other’s company. Seniors are specific about why they attend senior day services, and overwhelmingly it is because they want to be with their friends.

We know many seniors face loneliness and isolation regardless of where and with whom they live. Senior Day Services are a remedy to loneliness and isolation.

Who should attend Senior Day Services?

Easterseals SDS are designed for individuals who are 60 years of age or older with memory loss or physical disabilities. Individuals using this service may require support and assistance with personal care or other daily living activities.

What are the benefits of Senior Day Services?

While there are many benefits of SDS, the most notable are socialization and a sense of belonging.

The socialization is priceless for stabilizing the senior and engaging them in positive experiences while combatting loneliness and isolation. Simply getting ready for the day and getting out of the house reinforces engagement.

Some of the other benefits are that it creates routine, structure and the opportunity to focus on an individual’s strengths. Activities are offered and developed in a person-centered way so that individuals can experience success and be motivated to improve and expand their experiences.

How do Senior Day Services benefit caregivers?    

Most of the seniors who use SDS live with their family members. The family members, or caregivers, may be adult children or spouses who are employed and need the support of SDS so they can continue to keep their work commitments. There are also family caregivers who use SDS part-time to get respite from their caregiving duties.

Senior Day Services also makes it possible for older adults to live in their homes as long as possible, as opposed to moving to an assisted living location or memory care, which can be an incredibly expensive burden for families. With the support of SDS, families can avoid or delay institutional placement and honor their loved ones wishes to stay at home.

What Services Are Offered at Easterseals? 

• Social interaction
• Recreational activities
• Refresh! Exercise programs
• Arts & crafts
• Reminisce groups
• Senior topics
• Pet therapy
• Musical entertainers
• Senior wellness
• Intergenerational programming

What is the Intergenerational Program?

Intergenerational services officially launched at our Brea, CA location in February 2024. Preschoolers from the on-site neighboring day care join the seniors for structured activities throughout the day. The seniors and preschoolers get together for a morning walk each day, and other activities might include crafts, baking or dancing. All of these opportunities enrich the experiences for the seniors and provide unique learning opportunities for the children.

What are the positive outcomes for seniors?

Reportedly, seniors experience increased longevity and some stabilization of debilitating health conditions, both cognitive and physical. Overall, the psychological benefits of engagement and connection outweigh the physical and cognitive challenges the senior experiences. Families also report renewed sense of purpose that fuels their loved one’s interest in attending SDS.

Additionally, the Refresh Life Re-Energized evidence-based exercise curriculum has afforded seniors increased strength, balance, dexterity, range of motion and confidence in physical activity (according to data reported to CVS, who sponsored this curriculum development).

Is Easterseals Senior Day Services Enrolling?

Yes! Both of our Senior Day Services locations in Redondo Beach, CA and Brea, CA are actively enrolling new seniors into our program. To learn more about the program to see if it’s a good fit for you or your loved one, visit our website.

What are people saying about Easterseals Senior Day Program?

We asked several Senior Day Services participants what they think about the program and how it has impacted their life.  

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Visit our website to learn more about Easterseals Senior Day Services program and to see if it is the right fit for you or a loved one.

Written by Adrienne Hedger, Easterseals Internal Marketing Manager

For Autism Acceptance Month in April, we sat down with Rick Gutierrez, Ph.D., Vice President of Clinical Strategy & Operations at Easterseals Southern California, to talk about a powerful approach that is creating more balance and wellness in people’s lives.

Is it possible to focus on the good, even during times of difficulty and crisis? At Easterseals Southern California (ESSC), the answer is a definitive YES. We have been using the science of positive psychology in Autism Services with our participants and associates. Here’s how it works, and the effect it’s having.

What is Positive Psychology?

This approach is a scientific look at what constitutes a pleasant, engaged and meaningful life. The focus is on human strengths and virtues.

“We learned about it from Proof Positive, a national autism wellbeing non-profit,” says Rick Gutierrez, PhD., Vice President of Clinical Strategy & Operations at Easterseals Southern California. “We recognized right away that this approach could make a real impact on the people who participate in our services, as well as their families.”

Applying it to Autism Services

Within Autism Services, ESSC is using positive psychology tools with teens and adults and their families.

People might come to ESSC feeling frustrated, stressed, or scared—and on top of that, families are used to being told what’s wrong with their loved one. Positive psychology balances all of this out by introducing optimism and hope, and opening up new avenues of thinking. The tools include:

Character Strengths. With the VIA Character Strength Survey and follow-up conversations, ESSC helps participants and their caregivers identify the aspects of their life that are essential to who they are.

“I like to ask people what their loved one or family member looks like at their best,” adds Rick. “This simple question completely changes the conversation.”

Strength Spotting. Once they identify their character strengths, individuals and family members practice “Strength Spotting,” where they identify and regularly recognize the Character Strengths in themselves and others.

Jolts of Joy. This tool is all about quick actions someone can take during the day to immediately boost happiness. At ESSC, this means taking the time to truly understand what brings joy to the people we serve. What will quickly cheer them up? How can we give them more control to create their own joy and happiness?

“We were seeing great progress with these tools in Autism Services,” says Rick, “so we decided to apply them internally as well.”

How Associates Are Using the Tools

The first group to receive positive psychology training within ESSC was the START Crisis Support Team. This program supports individuals experiencing a crisis who have a history of developmental disability and mental health concerns.

“Working on the crisis hotline is an intense job, and we wanted to help associates stay in a position of wellness,” says Rick. “With the positive psychology tools, our team is able to consistently put their best selves out there to help people in really difficult moments.”

Associates are using all the tools mentioned above, and also regularly ask “What went well?” and then share their answers. This encourages everyone to focus on gratitude, and associates say that it’s making a difference in their work.

Spreading the Joy

Now Rick and his team are training other groups within ESSC to use positive psychology in their own lives and with the people we serve. From Strength Spotting to Jolts of Joy to What Went Well, it all adds up to a transformative mindset. One that helps people effectively face challenges and live a happier, healthier life.

“This approach just makes sense,” says Rick. “People are making a conscious effort to approach life with a positive attitude, and that has a ripple effect. We’re seeing the results every day.”

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Finding Jolts of Joy

Jolts of Joy can quickly put you in a more positive mindset. How can you work them into your day? Try some of these ideas… and comment with your own ideas!

Watch a funny video online

Take a five-minute walk

Take a moment to appreciate something you see in nature

Enjoy a favorite beverage or treat

Send a text to a friend or loved one

Listen to a favorite song

Look at photos that make you happy

Smell a favorite scent

Check a funny account online

On Monday, March 4, Easterseals Southern California staff, board members and participants enjoyed the inaugural “Easterseals Night” with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Before the game, Easterseals board members Maria Serrao and Nic Novicki were deemed honorary team captains, and our Adult Day Services participants Kevin and Jahad proudly delivered the game ball to referees.

Throughout the night, Easterseals signage lit up the arena, including our PSA video, which displayed on the scoreboard during half-time! Easterseals is so excited for this new partnership and looks forward to spreading the word about disability inclusion alongside the Lakers.

Visit our website to learn more about Easterseals Southern California and how we are leading the way to full equity, inclusion, and access through life-changing disability and community services.

The end of tax season is quickly approaching! Learning how tax strategies can help you optimize your charitable donations not only benefits you, but also the non-profit organizations you support.

Here are three strategies to optimize your charitable contributions for this year and in the future:*

1. Open a Donor-Advised Fund

One of the most common strategies for increasing deductions for charitable donations is to open a donor-advised fund.

These accounts let a taxpayer donate a lump sum upfront to claim the deduction in that tax year, and then dole out the money to nonprofits over time. A significant contribution can enable the taxpayer to itemize deductions, rather than take the standard deduction, and receive a tax benefit for their charitable giving.

2. Donate Appreciated Stock

Donating appreciated stock gives investors the opportunity to shelter the gains from taxes. If you have held the stock for at least a year, you can generally take its fair market value as a deduction. This is a significant opportunity and benefits people that are looking make a charitable gift.

Donating appreciated stocks also complements the use of a donor-advised fund as you can give the shares either to a donor-advised account or directly to a non-profit organization.

3. Make Qualified Charitable Distributions

A qualified charitable distribution, or QCD, is a direct distribution from a pretax individual retirement account or a 401(k) to a charity. Retirees who must take required minimum distributions, or RMDs, from such retirement accounts can benefit from fulfilling a portion with a QCD. Doing so helps satisfy the RMD, and the transfer isn’t counted toward their adjusted gross income.

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Make sure to take advantage of these breaks in 2024. Most laws around charitable giving may change as provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act end by the end of 2025.

Learn more about how you can support Easterseals Southern California while optimizing your tax strategies by visiting easterseals.mylegacygift.org.

*This article is informational purposes only. Always consult your tax, financial and/or legal advisors before implementing any transactions or strategies concerning your finances.