An Ideal Place for Each of Us
One of the many spectacular things about Loveland Center’s multiple Adult Day Training programs is the ability to provide the same great service to individuals while meeting the different needs of many. Loveland’s long-loved Venice campus is an expansive 8 acres where individuals can rotate through different activities. Serving about 85 individuals daily, program participants choose their activities, switching groups and direct support professionals along the way, to create a custom schedule that fits their exact goals and desires.
While many individuals love the hustle and bustle of the big Venice campus, for some it can be overwhelming, and North Port provides these individuals with a different type of program where they can experience the same types of exciting activities in a smaller setting.
Located just a 15-minute drive southeast of our Venice location in the North Port Family Services Center, Loveland Center North Port serves approximately 20 to 25 individuals a day. Individuals in this program go to the library, bowling, and art classes at the North Port Art Center weekly. They also volunteer at the Fandango Animal Sanctuary and the Awaken Food Pantry each week. The program is active and vibrant, providing individuals with a wide variety of community and center-based activities to enrich their lives and learn skills that help them live their lives as independently as possible.
It is also quieter than the Venice campus, with a calmer energy that fits the needs of some individuals who thrive in that kind of environment. Since moving from Venice to North Port, two individuals who almost never spoke have been using verbal communication to express their needs. Another individual who made the switch to North Port has learned how to safely express her emotions and is working on when it is appropriate to communicate and when it is time to move on to a different subject.
The opposite has been true as well. Several individuals who started at our North Port location have transferred to Venice, where they have also thrived. One individual joined the Loveland Players, Loveland’s Venice-based theatre program, and she has been able to manage her behaviors by expressing her feelings and emotions through theatre. Another participant transferred from North Port to Venice and joined Loveland’s cooking classes. She was just able to use the social skills she learned to obtain her first job.
Loveland Center strives to meet the needs of the individuals we serve. By providing a variety of Adult Day Training opportunities throughout Southwest Florida, we are better able to serve individuals and help them live their lives to the fullest.
Becca Eldredge, VP of Programs
