Tehachapi Adult Day Health Care – healthy living while having fun

Provided.

Bingo at ADHC.

Are you a senior and would like a place to find support and interact with others? Do you have an aging parent or adult child who might benefit from a safe place to interact with others, work on skills and be engaged? Do you have medical complications and want more careful daily monitoring? Come visit the Tehachapi Adult Day Healthcare Center (ADHC) to see if this unique program is right for your family.

The National Institutes of Aging list healthy eating, exercise, stress management, visits with medical professionals, learning new things and remaining socially connected to friends and family as the most important factors for healthy aging. Additionally, research has shown that older adults who are socially isolated or feel lonely are at higher risk for heart disease, depression and cognitive decline.

The ADHC program was designed with these recommendations in mind, providing participants opportunities to have access to regular medical check-ins, time out of the house, interaction with others, engagement in activities and exercise. There is also an onsite kitchen and cooks who prepare breakfast and lunch for participants.

The Tehachapi ADHC offers an array of weekday activities and professional services including: nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, registered dietician, speech therapy and social services. Assistance is available to assist with enrollment in insurance, accessing resources, making medical appointments and obtaining transportation. Prospective participants are assessed across all disciplines to determine specific needs and to develop an individualized plan of care.

The ADHC is located at 123 W. F St., Tehachapi. Program hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (661) 863-9998 during program hours. At over 10,000 square feet, with ample parking, the ADHC opened in Fall 2023 and the Cooling Center was designated in July 2024. Prior to becoming ADHC, locals will recall this location (on the corner of F and Curry streets) as the former site of the Moose Lodge, and prior to that as C&P Market.

Regularly scheduled weekly activities include Monday Music with Mountain Music, Tuesday Bingo with prizes and now that the Tehachapi Hitching Post has reopened, a weekly Friday Matinee Movie. Daily exercise is offered via chair yoga (10:30 a.m.) and individualized workout plans are developed by therapists. Other daily activities include arts and crafts, game play, puzzling and dancing. Participants can be found playing pool, shuffleboard, board games, cards and dominoes. One daily dominoes player is 90 years old, is very rarely beaten and has some great dance moves using her walker.

This past spring, we had a pool tournament, and in August we will repeat this popular activity. Puzzling is a favorite pastime at the center and in late July a puzzle tournament was held, where teams competed on identical puzzles to crown Puzzle Champions.

As noted above, in July, the ADHC also opened the Tehachapi Cooling Center, which is opened from 1 to 8 p.m. on days the National Weather Service have predicted temperatures of 93 degrees or higher (www.kerncounty.com/government/aging-adult-services/services/cooling-centers/). Many of the activities available at the ADHC are also available to Cooling Center guests including table games, puzzles, pool table, shuffleboard, Wi-Fi, TV, water, snacks, places to read, work and outlets to recharge devices.