Adult Day Care Types

• Adult day care is a program of supervised activities for people who can no longer look after themselves. States license most centers. They usually have rules for health-oriented centers that include requirements for professional services and a staff-to-participant ratio.
  
  Adult day social care centers provide meals, recreation, socialization activities and some health-related services.
  
  Adult day health-care centers provide more health-related services. In addition to social services, these centers concentrate on therapeutic activities. Most will have a medical professional on the staff. They offer treatment by specialists such as physical therapists and speech therapists.
  
  Some adult day care centers specialize in services for specific types of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or other dementias.
  
  

Costs

• Nearly 80 percent of centers are run by nonprofit or public organizations. The average fee for an 8- to 10-hour day of care is $61.
  
  

Purposes

• Beyond providing services to their participants, adult day care centers offer caregivers needed assistance. Caregivers who work find adult day care safe places for their loved ones. For caregivers who are at home, the centers provide free time for housekeeping, shopping or rest. Some centers will keep a participant over one or several nights in order to provide caregivers respite.
  
  

Federal Assistance

• Medicare does not provide funds for adult day care. For those participants qualified financially, Medicaid will pay the fees for state-licensed, medical-related center care or care provided to Alzheimer's participants.
  
  Caregivers may be eligible for dependent-care tax credits.
  
  The federal Administration on Aging's Community Living Program grants assist senior citizens at risk of nursing-home placement to stay in their communities while they spend down to become Medicaid eligible.
  
  

State Assistance

• States license day care centers, including adult centers.
  
  Some states provide start-up funds to adult day health care centers to help lower fees to participants. The services at these centers encourage more care at home. This also saves the states money by reducing the need for more expensive nursing home care.
  
  Some centers provide scholarships. Many offer their services on a sliding fee scale determined by family income.
  
  

Other Assistance

• Private medical insurance policies sometimes cover adult day health care costs. Long-term care policies may also pay for these services. Many centers receive charitable contributions that are used for scholarships or to lower fees generally.
  
  

Conclusion

• Adult day care provides important services that benefit participants and caregivers. Opportunities exist to get help with the cost. Most financial assistance is related to income.