Adult day services provide stimulation for older Americans, and respite for full-time caregivers WHIO TV 7 and WHIO Radio [Video]

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — (AP) — Sally White helps her husband of 46 years get dressed, fed and on the bus for the short ride from their home to Third Age Adult Day Center four mornings a week.

Preparing 74-year-old Rodger White to leave the house for the day can be a chore since he’s been in declining health for more than a decade and has severe memory loss.

“It’s like having a small child,” said Sally White, 78. “This long goodbye is hell. I’m exhausted. When he’s at Third Age, I clean the house and try to get errands done.”

For thousands of older Americans like the Whites, Third Age Adult Day Center and similar adult day services provide safe, stimulating places for those who have physical or cognitive disabilities and give respite to their caregivers.

William Zagorski, chairman of the National Adult Day Services Association, estimates there are about …