Three Cheers for the Dungarvin Columbus Day Program

The Day Program run by Dungarvin in Columbus, Ohio is growing in popularity. This year it has welcomed several different participants – even individuals served by different providers. “The Columbus Day Program offers a wide verity of services,” says Emily Reed, Day Program Director. “Between education in money management, activities in daily living (ADL), cooking classes, yoga and other exercises, as well as fun and interesting community outings and opportunities to volunteer, there is a lot for our participants to do to get involved with their community.”

A Day Program typically provides access to programs or activities designed to meet the assessed health and social needs of an individual. Day Programs typically include the delivery of supervision, care, assistance, training and fun activities to give people access to community and help them achieve specific outcomes, as identified in an individual’s support plan.

Unfortunately, many people miss out on the opportunity to participate in Day Program activities because of lack of travel or complex individual medical needs. Dungarvin realizes this and taken the appropriate measures to ensure participants have the supports they need. “Dungarvin has a larger fleet of transport vehicles than most providers, plus we have more staff trained as drivers so we are able to take on more individual participants,” remarks Reed. “We also have an on-site nurse at our Columbus Day Program. Robin Moon, LPN, has been with us since 2017 to ensure everyone we serve has the support they need to fully engage with our program.”

While it is common for Day Programs to regularly go out into the community, participants at the Columbus Day Program have the daily choice to either go on scheduled outings or to stay in the center for planned activities. When asked why the Day Program is so popular, Reed thinks it is a combination of factors. “Some of our individuals only get to go out into the community when they come to Day Program, while others come specifically for the social interaction with staff and other individuals. Plus, our program pays close attention to what works well for the individuals served. That may be multiple small groups doing different center activities, or it could mean groups going out into the community to have fun!”

If you’d like more information on the Columbus Day Program, please contact Emily Reed at 614-547-8426.