Abstract
This paper reports on a day care service, mainly for people with aphasia, established at a doctor's clinic with a staff of one full-time speech and language therapist and three part-time staff members. The service is offered four days a week, and each day ten members participate in the four- to six-hour program. At present a total of thirty members participate in the program. Members pay only ten per cent of the cost of the program with the remainder being covered by Long-Term Care Insurance. The daily program consists of medical checks, speech and language group therapy, lunch, and some social activities. Seasonal events and trips are also planned on occasion. Many volunteers are also involved in the program as “conversation partners.” The program has been in existence for one year and the following benefits have been observed: 1) members who could not adjust to the usual type of day care services have come to enjoy this program, 2) members showing signs of deteriorating intellectual abilities are provided with stimulation and chances for meaningful communication, and 3) members are becoming more independent and showing more care for others.
