What Is Adult Day Care?

Do you have a parent or grandparent who is struggling with the physical and/or mental deterioration that comes along with the aging process but who does not warrant the around-the-clock care offered by a nursing home? If so, adult day care may be the solution. To help you better understand your options, the Indianapolis attorneys at Frank & Kraft explain the different types of adult day care.

Adult Day Care Explained

Senior centers have been around for decades, offering older adults a place to gather and socialize; however, senior centers are only beneficial for relatively healthy, mobile, seniors. For older adults who have physical and/or cognitive limitations, senior centers are effectively out of reach. Adult day care evolved as an alternative for seniors who could not enjoy the benefits of a senior center.

Also referred to as “adult day services,” adult day care typically includes programs that assist seniors in completing activities of daily living, such as bathing, going to the bathroom, and getting dressed. The results of a study published in the journal The Gerontologist found that seniors who frequent an adult day care center have a better quality of life and that the centers provide health-related, social, psychological and behavioral benefits for participants, particularly those with dementia and other cognitive impairments.

Types of Adult Day Care Services

Adult day care centers typically fall into one of three categories: social adult day care, adult day health care, and specialized adult day care. The three categories can loosely be thought of as “levels” of care; however, the services and activities provided by a center can vary widely even within the categories. If you are contemplating adult day care, it helps to have a general idea of the different types of centers.

• Social Adult Day Care: As the name implies, social adult day care focuses on enriching the lives of seniors by encouraging them to engage in social interaction and community activities. Seniors are supervised; however, medical services are limited or non-existent. Seniors are encouraged to share their unique abilities and knowledge during group activities that might include things such as group sing-alongs, arts and crafts, yoga and stretching, book clubs, and games such as Bingo.
• Adult Day Health Care (ADHC): At an ADHC center, seniors will usually have the opportunity to participate in the social activities offered at a social day care but also receive physical, occupational, and speech therapy services. In addition, there is typically an RN on site at all times along with physicians and other healthcare professionals available on a regular basis. Seniors suffering physical, mental or social problems associated with stroke, isolation, confusion or other conditions have the chance to meet new people and enjoy socializing while remaining under the supervision of trained medical staff. Joint Medicare and Medicaid participants may be eligible to receive ADHC from a local Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). These programs serve individuals who are 55 or older, certified by their state as needing nursing home level care, able to live safely in the community at the time of enrollment and living in a PACE service area. While all PACE participants must be certified to need nursing home care to enroll, 93 percent live in the community and get their daily care at a PACE adult day health care center.
• Specialized Adult Day Care/Alzheimer’s and Dementia Day Care: These centers combine the socialization and healthcare aspects of adult day care and adapt them to service seniors who are living with Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia. Along with medical supervision, a specialized day care program will also provide a secure environment supervised by staff who have specialized training in dementia care.

Is Adult Day Care Expensive?

If you are contemplating adult day care for an elderly parent (or another family member (, your next concern is likely the cost. Recent figures indicate that adult day care runs, on average, just over $1,700 per month in the State of Indiana. Unfortunately, most health insurance policies do not cover adult day care and neither does Medicare. Medicaid coverage varies by state; however, most states offer a Medicaid waiver program that will help cover the cost of adult day care. Talk to your estate planning attorney about qualifying for Medicaid and the potential need to include Medicaid planning in your parent’s estate plan.

Do You Have Additional Questions about Adult Day Care?

For more information, please join us for an upcoming FREE seminar. If you have additions questions or concerns about adult day care or other elder law concerns, contact an experienced Indianapolis elder law attorney at Frank & Kraft by calling (317) 684-1100 to schedule an appointment.

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