Dartmouth adult day health center caters to Portuguese and Spanish speakers

DARTMOUTH – After stepping into La Bella Vida adult day health center in Dartmouth, you may feel as though you’ve entered a facility abroad.

The air is filled with conversations in Portuguese and Spanish carried out by seniors and adults with disabilities chatting happily in their native language, while they play dominos or bingo, knit, crochet, paint, color or are entertained with other crafts and activities.

“I love coming here,” says Liliana Sousa in Portuguese. “It’s like a family… it’s actually more than a family.”

The Fall River resident who moved here from Terceira, Azores, said she has been coming to La Bella Vida practically every day for seven years.

“We’re very well liked, and well treated here. We don’t lack anything,” she said. “I’ll continue to come here as long as I can come.”

A few feet away, Manuel de Sousa, originally of Cape Verde, said he enjoys coming here for the social aspect.

“If I was home, I would be by myself, watching TV or sleeping,” he said in Portuguese. “Here, I play dominos and bingo, and I socialize. This is like family.”

According to André Faria, the director of La Bella Vida, one of the requirements to work at this adult day center is to speak Portuguese or Spanish in addition to English. That applies to all staff – nurses, social worker and himself included.

“We are probably the largest adult day health in Southeastern Massachusetts,” he said. “There are other places, but I don’t think anyone really caters to the ethnic, cultural preferences of people. That’s what we try to do here.”

Helping provide independence and peace of mind

Licensed by the Department of Public Health as well as MassHealth, La Bella Vida currently serves 121 individuals, but it has capacity for 144.

“In order for someone to come here, they have to be found eligible for needed services by a doctor and have MassHealth as insurance,” Faria said. “Once the doctor does all that, our nurses do an assessment” and devise an individual plan.

He said La Bella Vida’s mission is to provide a safe environment where seniors or adults with disabilities can benefit both emotionally and physically, while giving their relatives peace of mind.

“The Portuguese in our community are very proud, so it’s difficult sometimes for children to put their parents in a place like this because they don’t want to admit that they can’t take care of their parents,” said Faria, who traces his roots to Faial, Portugal. “But the ones who have, are saying ‘You guys have been a godsend because now I know I can go to work, and I know my mother or father is in good hands.’”

One of the main goals of the center is to provide participants with the help and support necessary to maintain their independence.

“A lot of families don’t know about this place, so they just put someone in a nursing home,” he said. “This way, the person can still live at home and come here and interact with peers. They have people they can talk to. A lot of people who come here, especially the Portuguese, have to cope with loneliness.”

In fact, many studies have found that older immigrants, regardless of their ethnic background, are at risk of social isolation and loneliness as they tend to have fewer social connections. Some studies point out that sometimes migrating to a new country might result in resettlement or linguistic challenges that may negatively contribute to greater social isolation and poor mental health.

Who attends La Bella Vida?

Located at 365 Faunce Corner Rd. in North Dartmouth, the 7,500-square-foot adult day center features several activity areas, a room with activities geared to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease patients called Alegria, a cafeteria, a kitchen, a conference room, and several other rooms and offices.

La Bella Vida participants have a wide spectrum of physical, mental or emotional needs which are currently attended by a staff of 23, including four nurses and a social worker.

Some participants have diabetes, high blood pressure or other conditions and need help taking their medication or other assistance. Others suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Some have disabilities.

“Basically, it’s people who can’t stay home safely during the day and for whatever reason they have to be observed,” Faria said. “They are usually here six hours.”

All services are provided at no cost to the participant.

The day center opens Monday through Saturday from 7:30 am to 4 p.m. Free transportation is provided to and from the site.

What’s a typical day like at the center?

A typical day starts with breakfast, followed by an exercise session, which can include a walk, Zumba or another workout.

The rest of the morning is filled with assorted activities catered to the individual’s interests. Some prefer arts and crafts, while others like to play games, do crossword puzzles or paint.

Lunch is usually served around 12:30 p.m. and is catered by a local restaurant.

“It’s culturally, ethnic food,” Faria said. “We have a dietician who creates the menu so it’s healthy, nutritious food. If we weren’t open, some people may not have a nutritious meal, which is why we’re open on all holidays, except Christmas and New Year’s.”

After lunch, there are more activities.

Following an afternoon snack, the participants start returning home.

A couple of days a week, La Bella Vida provides trips to some local stores.

“We have a lot of people who have no way of getting to the supermarket or the store,” said Faria. “We’ll take them, and they’ll do their shopping.”

Sporadically, participants go on field trips to locations such as the Buttonwood Park Zoo, Fort Taber and Harold Reynolds Park.

‘We’re very proud of what we do here’

Faria said all participants’ activities are planned in connection with their doctor and families.

“Our nursing staff is a big part of what we do here,” he said. “They’re always in communication with people’s doctors and families for continuity of care.”

A social worker helps participants with issues like insurance and housing and satisfy other needs, such as getting a personal care attendant to provide home care services. Faria said the social worker is in constant communication with Coastline Elderly Services to help people get the benefits they need.

“We’re very proud of what we do here,” said Faria.

For more information about La Bella Vida adult day health center, call 774-202-1065 or send an email to lbvboston@yahoo.com

Lurdes C. da Silva may be reached at ldasilva@ojornal.com. To read more stories about the Portuguese-speaking community, in English and Portuguese, please visit ojornal.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: La Bella Vida adult day center caters to Portuguese and Spanish speakers