Will Adult Day Care be a good alternative to a Nursing Home and is it right for your situation?

By Bob Gregory

Are you the adult child or spouse of a physically or cognitively disabled adult family member?  Are you struggling with providing in-home care while trying to maintain your own household and job?  Don’t despair, there are alternatives to Nursing Homes or Assisted Living Facilities that will allow you to provide the care your loved one needs and you desire to give.

Consider an Adult Day Care center as an alternative!

What is an Adult Day Care Center?  An Adult Day Care Center is a planned program for frail, physically or cognitively disabled seniors who need a safe, supervised environment during the day.  They are intended for older adults who need help managing daily activities or are isolated.

Special Attributes of an Adult Day Care Center:

• Open Monday through Friday during the day

  

  Full Service (Photo credit: acidpix)

• Some provide transportation to and from the facility
• Provide a safe and cheerful environment
• Provide socializing and activities to stimulate mental health
• Nutritious meals and special diet services
• Nursing staff to administer medication
• Low cost way of keeping a family member at home

Adult Day Care centers can be public or private, non-profit or for profit.  They are regulated by the state and each state has different regulations.  The National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA) does provide some overall guidelines, so there are commonalities in the regulations.  Check with your state for specific guidelines.

Brockton Adult Day Care Center (Photo credit: Timothy Valentine)

In addition to giving your loved-one a safe place to socialize and receive care during the day, it will also provide the caregiver a needed respite and reduce the need for nursing home care.  Care giving can be both financially and physically exhausting and a break from the caregiver’s role can do wonders for both of you.

If you need a break or your loved one is isolated while you are at work, please consider the advantages of an Adult Day Care center. If you have any other ideas or comments, please leave them in our comment section. We want to hear them. Helping people care for their loved ones is what we care about. 

We look forward to reading yours.

Bob Gregory is an advocate for Seniors and is one of the founders of  www.seniorfacilityfinder.com. At SeniorFacilityFinder.com, we are dedicated to helping families get the Elder Care help they need without having to provide their personal information! If you find you need an assisted living facility or other type of senior facility, please consider www.seniorfacilityfinder.com.

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• Respite care offers an antidote to caregiver burnout (bangordailynews.com)
• Adult Day Care Definition (assistedlivingtoday.com)
• A Shift From Nursing Homes to Managed Care at Home (thehandiestone.typepad.com)
• Adult Day Care | Caregiver Center | Alzheimer's Association (elderoptionsoftexas.com)