The adult day care center is a safe environment for adults who need assistance with daily tasks and activities. Seniors can socialize and enjoy planned activities in group settings while still receiving the necessary health services they require. This allows family caregivers to have some much-needed rest from their constant caregiving duties.
Before we go too deeply into how to find the best adult day center, let's address the elephant in the room...
Are Adult Day Care Centers Good for Seniors?
Here's what the experts say:
A 2017 Gerontologist article outlines how adult day care programs can improve the quality of life for older people. The research found these types of facilities provided important benefits, particularly those who are living with dementia or cognitive impairments.
A 2018 paper published in Frontiers on Aging Neuroscience also highlighted positive impacts from visiting an assisted-living facility; it reported evidence suggesting participants had increased mental wellbeing as well as pain management skills after attending such establishment over time!
6 Quick Tips to Make To Choose the Best Adult Day Care Center For Your Senior Faster & Easier
Making the decision to enroll one of your aging parents or older adult in a day care center can be difficult. It's important to find a center that will meet your senior or loved one's specific needs.
"One person caring about another represents life’s most significant value." – Jim Rohn
Tip #1 - Do your research.
Look for adult day care centers that offer a variety of individual and group program activities, health care services, adult day programs, as well as those that are licensed and insured.
Tip #2 - Tour Several Adult Care Centers
This will give you a good idea of the types of services offered and the quality of care and support services provided.
Does it seem clean, pleasant, and welcoming? You can judge whether or not staff members are engaged with participants by looking at their body language as they speak to each other in person to see how often do people look away from what's being said on the screen instead of focusing solely on those eyes which are staring back at them!
How do the other seniors seem? How are their interactions with the primary caregivers?
Tip #3 - Meet With the Primary Care Staff.
Ask them about their experience and training, and find out what type of care and social services they provide. Start with the basics.
Do they provide nutritious meals and snacks, local outings, recreational activities, holiday and birthday celebrations?
Tip #4 Ask for Referrals From Friends and Family Members.
They may have had personal experience with a particular adult day care center or other local senior centers and can recommend one that would be a good fit for your loved one.
Tip #5 Take Into Account Your Loved One's Needs and Preferences
Some seniors prefer smaller, more intimate settings while others might prefer a larger center with more group activities to choose from.
Tip #6 Consider the Costs
Adult day centers can be expensive. (See below.)
Still unsure?
Here are a few more tips for finding the best adult day center for your older adults.
To make the best choice possible, determine exactly what your senior or aging parent's needs are.
Here is a checklist of questions to ask:
Is your senior in need of social and emotional support, stimulation, or assistance with activities of daily living?
Do they need health-related services and/or therapeutic services, such as physical therapy, speech therapy? Or do they have medical conditions that require medical services like blood pressure monitoring that need to be administered by a health care professional?
What level of personal care do they require? Do they need a senior care specialist?
Does your senior require dementia care or have other intensive health issues?
Final Considerations
If you are looking for the best adult day care center for your loved one, here are some final important factors to consider::
1. The location of the center.
2. The size of the center
3. The type of adult day care services offered by the center
4. The adult day care programs
5 .The price of the center
6. The hours of operation of the center
7. The reputation of the center
The location of the adult day center is important because you will want to choose a center that is close to your home or your loved one's home. However, nowadays many centers provide transportation.
The size of the center is also important because you will want to make sure that there is enough room for your senior but also one that provides a secure environment.
The type of services offered by the center is also important because you will want to make sure that the center offers the services that your loved one needs. Make sure there is a good balance of individual and group programs.
.
Of course, the price of the center is always important because you will want to find a center that is affordable.
The hours of operation of the center are also important because you will want to make sure that the center is open when you need it to be open. Just know that very few adult day care centers have weekend and evening hours.
In addition, getting references from friends/family who have recently visited these places will help too but don't forget about contacting local Area Agencies On Aging (AAOA), State Adult Day Services Association(SADA), or even starting up conversations online via websites such search engines like Yelp where folks write reviews regarding various and even Facebook support groups.
Adult Day Care Costs
How much does Adult Day Care Cost? while the cost of senior care can be fairly expensive it is nowhere near the cost of o senior living facility or other residential care facilities. However, it still isn't cheap at around $2100 per month on average across all 50 states.
However, if you need financial assistance, know that Medicare insurance doesn't cover day care centers for adults, but there are some financial assistance programs. For example, Medicaid and Older Americans Act coverage may be available through a federal or state agency (e.g., The Veterans Health Administration has many veterans benefits) Always ask your insurance company.
Conclusion
Adult day care centers are one of the most attractive senior living solutions today. Particularly when you consider the benefits and costs of adult day care vs. other senior living solutions. This is why so many seniors choose this form over others as they are able to age gracefully right in their own homes or communities while being looked after by people who know them well and will treat them like family.
If you are looking for the best adult day care center for your loved one, consider the factors listed above. To find the best adult day care centers near you click here.