Reflections from our Summer Intern at Adult Day Health
September 23, 2025
Hi! I’m Ridhi and this summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to serve as an intern for the Adult Day Health program at Full Life Care through the Teens in Public Service (TIPS) program.
Even before my first day at Full Life Care this June, I found myself unsure of what exactly I’d be doing. My offer letter was detailed, describing how, as the summer intern, my tasks would include supporting Adult Day Health participants as an encouraging figure and facilitating key activities during daily operations. Eight weeks later, though, I can gladly say that amidst card sorting, research, and time spent with program participants, I have found a comforting rhythm in the warm environment that is Full Life.
I soon discovered that the broad range of tasks wasn’t something to be feared but embraced. Although communicating with clients in the activity room was often a time-consuming challenge, whether they struggled to understand what I was saying or had difficulty responding, the smiles and joy that resulted from even the smallest interactions made the time worthwhile.
A Day in the Life
A typical day at Full Life for me consisted of spending time with clients in the activity room in the morning, heading back to the office for independent work time, and then heading back to the activity room to work with afternoon clients. A lot of the activity room time was spent moving around the room, talking to clients who were not participating in the main group activity of the day, or engaging with them during transitions. Other times, I aided the program assistants with the activities that required more set-up, like still-life painting projects, or helped clients with their Bingo boards and prizes on eagerly awaited Bingo days. During independent work time, I was able to research and brainstorm different cognition-centric activities for the clients to engage in. Some of these were arts and crafts, like tissue paper cherry blossom trees, while others were less hands-on, like an interactive documentary and a corresponding discussion.
The Clients at the Core of Adult Day Health
The more time that I spent with clients in the program, the more my hesitation and waiting transformed into animated conversations with glimpses of their interests and their stories. I got to know Anita, and her unconditional love for her sons. Susie, and her sharp attention to detail when it comes to coloring. Deotis and his dreams of traveling to Morocco. Jessica’s affection for the Jonas Brothers. It’s as I got to know each individual that I learned to be patient and to give everyone a chance. Everyone is on their own journey, and being at Full Life lets them tackle the challenges of those journeys in a safe space. This safe space is the reason that, on my first day designing and leading an activity by myself, I felt no nerves. Everyone piped up with their own obscure animal facts and guesses as I led everyone through the nature documentary.
My time at Full Life Care hasn’t just introduced me to wonderful people – it’s shown me that offering a helping hand or a listening ear is priceless. My patience has grown with each and every client interaction and every task that I worked through.