Arnaldo Ferrer
Adult Care Provider
March 3, 2021
Arnaldo Ferrer has been an adult care giver since 2013. In 2017, he brought his vision to life and opened Cielo Vista Senior Day Care where his family works with him to provide care for the clients. Cielo Vista specializes in the care of the disabled and elderly population of Las Vegas, Nevada, where clients come in the morning and spend the day. The center provides transportation to and from its clients’ homes each day and medical appointments when needed. They have an on-site nurse to help with any medical needs. Arnaldo’s center focuses on mental health with two major components: nutrition and activity.
Each day, the clients come to the center and are served a healthy breakfast, snacks and lunch. The population of the center is 98% Hispanic, for which Arnaldo says health and nutrition play an even more critical role with cultural eating habits. Several suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, and/or are at risk for heart problems. Once a month, a nutritionist reviews all of the menus and visits with the clients at the center about nutrition information. The on-site nurse teaches classes about good nutritional habits and healthy eating, focusing on advanced age. The nurse is also very involved with the clients regarding weight and nutritional eating for diabetes. The goal is to teach the clients how to make better choices when eating.
The other piece of the puzzle for improving health is social interaction and activity. Arnaldo has daily activities for the seniors. They can take part in crafts and singing with live music. They can also join in on a game of dominoes, exercise classes, or even learn English with an ESL teacher. They try to go on a park field trip three times a year, depending on mobility allowances of the clients.
“The staff is amazing and we care deeply for our seniors. It is a lot of hard work, but we do the work from our hearts and it is truly gratifying.”
The CACFP has played a critical role for Arnaldo and Cielo Vista because nutrition is such a focal point for the center. Arnaldo wants to provide the healthiest and best food he possibly can. The financial help from the CACFP allows Arnaldo to provide his clients with high quality, nutritious food. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the center was certainly affected, and CACFP has positively helped to offset the costs while many people are now choosing to stay home. Arnaldo always wants to be able to provide the nutritional foods his clients need.
“When I am that age, I would love to go to a place just like this. It will be the best six hours of the day.”
In Las Vegas, Nevada, Cielo Vista Senior Day Care Center has been a CACFP participant through Food For Kids, Inc. since 2019.