Jenny is the social worker at Full Life’s South Seattle Adult Day Health Center, where she helps families enroll in Memory Care and Wellness Services or the Health and Wellness program for adults with chronic conditions. While working at Full Life and studying for her master’s degree in social work, she interned at the University of Washington Memory Disorders Clinic, with a special focus on persons with young-onset Alzheimer’s disease and their families. She also interned at a Veteran’s Administration primary care clinic.

“I love the range of people we work with,” Jenny says. “They might be 21 or 101-years-old, but they all have unique reasons for attending adult day health. Not only do they get skilled nursing treatments and rehab therapies, but they also discover new interests and abilities and make new connections with others.”

Jenny helps participants and their caregivers become part of a supportive community at Full Life and also links them to resources in the community to strengthen their safety net.

“I really enjoy the relationships we develop, working with people over time,” Jenny reflects, “often until the end of their lives. It’s a privilege to offer such real support to our participants and their families.”

Pictured: Adult day health participant Lora Chiorah-Dye flexes her muscles with Jenny.

Intake Specialist April Prepotente with participant Carisa Sampson

April Prepotente always had a fascination with sociology, but after learning about her interest in working with people, her university adviser steered her to the UW School of Social Work, where she received her bachelor’s degree.

She spent the better part of a year travelling after graduation, and when she returned to Seattle in 2009, she took a position as case manager at Full Life Care, and now is an intake specialist at our South Seattle Adult Day Health Center. 

“I totally fell in love with our participants,” April recalls, “and I’ve learned so much about the different needs of people with developmental disabilities, acquired brain injury and multiple sclerosis.”

April’s particularly encouraged by her work with Carisa Sampson, a new participant who has an acquired brain injury as the result of a stroke. While she made great progress while residing at her first rehab center, subsequent facilities proved a disappointment to her and her family.

“After she learned of the activities at Full Life’s Heads Up Program, she was intrigued,” April says, “and her mother is sold on the program as well. We’re all so pleased that she’s back on a good rehab path.”

“Being the intake specialist allows me to connect people to services they might not otherwise receive at home,” April says. “Families walk out our door grateful to hear that they can leave their loved ones with peace of mind, knowing that we are working with them on their various needs and goals. It’s the most satisfying part of the intake process.”  

North Seattle Adult Day Health Center

Sarah Dickerson took the long road to adult day health. Actually, it was a long flight. To England and back.

During her studies toward her bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Washington, Sarah went to England for a hospice internship. Unlike in the U.S., where hospice is home-based, Sarah found herself at a hospice facility, which also housed an adult day health center. She had never heard of adult day health before, but after working there for a brief period, she was sold on the concept.

After graduation in 2008, Sarah took a case manager position at Full Life’s Snohomish County Adult Day Health Center, where she worked with adults with developmental disabilities as well as elders with chronic health conditions.

Now Sarah works at the North Seattle Adult Day Health Center, conveniently located near her home. As the site’s social worker, Sarah enjoys working with families and helping participants transition into attending the program. “I love seeing the transformation in a new participant,” Sarah says, “as their apprehension and nervousness are replaced by anticipation and the comfort of being with new friends.”

Sarah observes that family members are often stressed when they first call about the program. “For example, a wife calling to enroll her husband might talk really fast and be really stressed-out,” she says, “but after they start the program, the four hours of rest and relaxation does wonders for them and improves their relationship at home, too.”

Talking to family members on a regular basis, Sarah frequently shares information with them about helpful resources like the King County Caregiver Support Program. “I feel like I’m bringing little bits of light into a world for them that can be really dark and confusing,” she says. “It’s very rewarding to walk a family around our site while learning about their personal history. And then to be involved in their family at this juncture in their lives is incredibly rewarding.”

Sarah is also at an exciting juncture in her own life: she and her husband are expecting a baby in July!

Pictured from left: Sarah with participant Bob Crawford and his daughter Colette Crawford.