Elder Care: Adult Day Care Text Size:

Adult day care provides social and health services to disabled and elderly adults who require supervision during the day. Adult day care allows an elderly adult to live at home rather than enter a residential care facility and gives a break to caregivers enabling them to continue to work during the day.

Adult Day Care Services

Adult day care is a nonresidential community service provided in a safe and secure environment for elderly adults who cannot be alone during the day but who do not require 24-hour inpatient care. Services provided by adult day care centers are designed to promote an elderly adult's continued independence and give the elderly adult's family members a needed break from providing care at home. Adult day care services vary a lot but may include:

• Social services
• Nursing and counseling
• Personal care and assistance including walking, bathing, toileting and other activities of daily living
• Medical and health care monitoring
• Exercise sessions, field trips and recreational activities
• Restorative services including physical, occupational and speech therapy
• Medication administration
• Well-balanced meals
• Transportation to and from the facility

Adult day care services are typically offered for several hours up to eight hours per day and for up to five days a week. There may be a few facilities that offer evening or weekend services.

Choosing an Adult Day Care Center

The types and level of services and care provided by adult day care facilities vary considerably. In addition, states vary in the ways they regulate adult day care services. Most states require facilities to be licensed or certified and to be subject to periodic inspections. In choosing the right day care facility for your elderly loved one, here is list of things to consider:

• What are the facility's hours of operation and cost of care?
• Is the facility licensed and periodically inspected by the state?
• Has the facility received any substantiated complaints regarding care and services?
• Is the facility easily accessible? Is it equipped to handle special physical needs?
• What transportation is available? Will the facility provide or arrange for transportation?
• Does the facility restrict admissions? Does it conduct an individual needs assessment before admitting the elderly adult?
• What activities and services are provided in the facility? Does the staff prepare and monitor individual care or treatment plans?
• What types of meals are served? Is there a weekly or monthly menu? Are meals included in the costs? Does the facility participate in the Nutrition Services Incentive Program? Do they meet nutrition guidelines? Are they enjoyed by participants? Will the facility provide for special dietary needs?
• Does the facility meet minimum requirements for participant to staff ratios? What professional staff is available and are they accessible to caregivers? Is the staff pleasant to participants?
• Do participants interact with each other and with the staff? Do they seem to enjoy their time at the facility?
• Is the day care facility clean, odorless, and pleasant to visit? Does it have comfortable furnishings for activities and relaxation?

Paying for Adult Day Care

Adult day care services can be expensive. Medicaid and other state assistance programs vary considerably in the type and amount of services that they will pay. For instance, a physician must prescribe a certain level of service or care for a specified number of hours per day. Medicare does not pay for any day care services. Some day care facilities will assist in financing the cost of care or will offer payment schedules based on income. Other ways to pay for care include:

• Health insurance plans that cover services provided by licensed health care professionals
• Federal income tax credits for dependent care
• Long-term care insurance plans that cover adult day care services and preferably with benefit levels tied to inflation or a percentage of reasonable charges with no cap or limits

Questions for Your Attorney

• What is adult day care?
• What kind of services should I expect see in adult day care?
• How do I choose a good adult day care center?

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