BetterConduct

It is estimated there are 5,685 adult day programs in 2019, and the numbers are growing rapidly (Bryant, 2019).  These community-based centers provide a coordinated program of services which are designed to provide social and some health services to adults who need supervised care outside the home during the day.  These services are usually provided during normal business hours 5 days a week.   According to NADSA, most adult care centers offer activities for social interaction, meals and snacks, transportation to and from the center, personal care assistance, and exercise.

 

There are three types of care offered at these centers, which NADSA identifies as social, medical/health, and specialized.  Social centers provide recreation, meals, and limited health services, while medical/health centers impart more intensive health and therapeutic care.  Dementia clients and those with developmental disabilities typically utilize specialized centers.  These offer services only to patients needing a specific type of care.  Centers may target specific diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, or mental illness.  Nearly half of all participants in day care centers have some level of dementia (NADSA, 2019).  Most centers have support programs for caregivers, and nearly all offer programs for cognitive stimulation, memory training, and education. 

 

Staffing adult care centers varies with location and type of center.  Eighty percent have a nursing professional on staff and half employ a social worker.  It is interesting to note that 50% provide physical, occupational, or speech therapy.  The ratio of client to direct care provider is 1:6 on average. 

 

Most adult day care services are paid by Medicaid (NADSA, 2019) or private pay and long-term care insurance.  Centers can be located by searching the National Adult Day Services Association database (https://www.nadsa.org/consumers/choosing-a-center) , contacting your local senior center or the local Area Agency on Aging (1-800-877-1116) or your state’s Adult Day Services Association. 

When choosing a center, talk with them about your loved one’s needs for assistance and whether services are offered to meet those needs.  Ask if the center is licensed, certified, or accredited.  Also inquire about meals, payment, access to therapeutic and ancillary services such as transportation, physical therapy, etc., and at what point a client would be ineligible to attend.  Visit the center first and then have the patient try it for a few days. 

 

Physical and emotional care and social interaction are just the core of the upside to this service.  

 

Source:

Bryant B.  Senior Helpers’ Town Square model gaining steam as investors eye adult day care.  Home Healthcare News, February 20, 2019.  Retrieved on March 6, 2019 from https://homehealthcarenews.com