Pulaski Adult Day Service a hidden gem

By DANIELLE REID

Patriot Publishing

Some say the Pulaski Adult Day Service is a great asset to Pulaski County!  Others call it the most awesome place! And still more comment that they wish they would have found out about it years ago. All agree that they have great confidence in Linda Davis, the Center’s Founder and Executive Director and the staff.

These are recent comments made by family members who have loved ones receiving care at the Pulaski Adult Day Service and Fall Prevention Center in Dublin.

“People just don’t understand how much they do here,” added another family member.

“Linda is very compassionate and remarkably loving to the Center’s participants,” stated Rebecca Underwood, Gerontological Nursing Special Purpose Instructor at Radford University.  “She makes sure that their family members will be safe, receive two healthy meals and a snack each day and enjoy positive  experiences with the other participants.  She gives a remarkable amount of love to her people and considers them like family.”

Underwood supervises RU Nursing students and was present with several students during their recent practicum at the Center.

There are always activities going on at the Center.  They play music every day but this day, guitarists Tony Smith and Gary O’dell were playing their guitars and leading the group in song.  The two also give members of the group guitar lessons. Many of those in attendance were members of the Center’s Community Choir, which will be giving a free concert at the Center on Wednesday, September 18th at 1 p.m.  Lynn Loftus and other community members will be joining them.

Some days the Master Gardeners teach the participants how to plant, cultivate and harvest their gardens.  The Center’s participants have won blue ribbons for vegetables and flowers they have grown.

Other activities include games that entertain as well as engage in teamwork, learning sign language, learning phrases in a foreign language such as Spanish, painting and other forms of art, woodworking, drawing and other stimulating activities. The walls of the rooms display artwork and posters that the participants have made with their own hands.

Chris Phillips, whose father Jay Thomas Phillips was a daily participant at the Center commented, “The Pulaski Adult Day Service Center is a great asset to Pulaski County, but I didn’t realize it until we made a visit.  People should visit and see how wonderful Linda and the staff are.  They care about the people and need to be recognized for what they do.”

Phillips added, “They really inspired and enriched my Daddy’s life.  Instead of sitting at home doing nothing, the Center gave him something to look forward to.  With all the daily activities, they kept his mind occupied, his hands busy and enriched him with friendships.”

Jay Phillips passed away on August 2^nd while in Hospice care, but his son said he talked about how much he missed his friends and wanted to come back to the Center.

Amy Overholt and her husband Mark have been caretakers for his father, Phil Overholt since 2019.  Amy recalls how devastated they were when they learned Phil had dimentia shortly after retiring from his job as an Engineer for the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C.

“Phil retired in March and was diagnosed with dimentia in July.  It was difficult finding activities for him until we discovered the Pulaski Adult Day Service Center.  It opened up a whole new world of activities for him.  He has been coming daily for two years and he lights up when the staff greets him by his name.  They treat him like a treasured friend,” she said.

Amy recalls how she went home the first day Phil came to the Center.  “I sat down and breathed a sigh of relief.  I knew he would be safe and well taken care of.  People need to know this place is here.  It’s like a hidden gem.”

Joe Puckett, owner of Puckett’s General Store at Max Creek (now only providing propane), had similar comments.  His mother, Beverly Puckett, was a nurse and actually helped Davis when she first opened the Center.  When Beverly had a very severe stroke in 2017, recovery was questionable.

“The damage was so severe that Mom’s brain shifted to one side.  She was flown to UVa for treatment.  It’s a testament to God that she is alive, that her vision has returned and she is able to walk,” confessed Puckett.

“Mom would get frustrated and upset that she couldn’t function like she did before.  My wife, Mollie and I remembered about the Pulaski Adult Day Services Center and contacted Linda Davis.  We decided to try it.  The first day was like taking a kid to school – we were so apprehensive.”

But they were relieved when they realized that Mom would be safe, be fed two healthy meals, and find a new sense of purpose – because she thought she was going to work every day.

“This is an awesome place,” Puckett remarked.  “People need to know what a difference this Center can make in their loved one’s life.  It fills a big need.”

Davis is gratified when she sees the progress her people make when coming to the Center.

“The question we ask ourselves is ‘How can we help our people reach their highest potential?’  They come through the doors saying, ‘I can’t paint’ or ‘I can’t do that,’ but it’s amazing the effect the Center has on their lives,” she says as tears well-up in her eyes.

“We have the best educated, qualified and licensed staff available.  At Pulaski Adult Day Service and Fall Prevention Center, we focus on quality of care. Our mission is to improve the participants’ function and quality of life.  Many of our participants have been teachers, researchers, professors and nurses who have contributed to our community.    Some have overcome tremendous physical and emotional challenges.  We acknowledge their accomplishments and help build their self-esteem,” explains Davis.

“The Center is absolutely God’s work.  He gave me this project to help me through the loss of my mother and provided the education and skills to take care of others.  People should be celebrated, not overlooked and their accomplishments should be acknowledged.  At the Pulaski Adult Day Service and Fall Prevention Center we get to do that.  I see our participants as jewels,” Davis stated.

One of the things her people have discovered that they can do is sing joyfully, which they will do during their Community Concert on Wednesday, September 18^th at 1 p.m.  The public is invited to attend the free concert, enjoy the refreshments and tour the facility.

The Pulaski Adult Day Service and Fall Prevention Center is a 501c-3 Non-profit organization.  For additional information or donations go to:  https://www.facebook.com/pulaskidultdayservice/ or call 540.307-5487.