Monday, October 13, 2014

What is Adult Day Care?

WHAT IS “ADULT DAY CARE”?

Adult day service (day care) meets the needs of frail and functionally impaired adults of all ages by providing a supervised and secure setting. Services include a wide range of options such as stimulating recreational group activities to increase or maintain independent living skills and overall self-sufficiency in a Social Model Adult Day Care Program to extensive assistance with activities of daily living and/or medical, therapeutic, or rehabilitation day treatment in a Medical Model Adult Day Care  Program. The goal of both models is to assist individuals, whether older adults or those with chronic conditions, to remain as independent as possible, for as long as possible. Nationally, almost half of all adult day service (day care) participants have some form of dementia. The balance of participants has chronic diseases such as hypertension, physical disability, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, a behavioral health challenge or a developmental disability.
The National Adult Day Services Association’s Institute on Adult Day Care defines adult day services (day care) as: “Adult day services provide a coordinated program of professional and compassionate services for adults in a community-based group setting. Services are designed to provide social and some health services to adults who need supervised care in a safe place outside the home during the day. They also afford caregivers respite from the demanding responsibilities of caregiving.”
An interdisciplinary team of both professionals and paraprofessionals deliver health, social and supportive services to meet the physical, cognitive or psychosocial needs of the participant in a secure cost effective group setting in the community allowing families to maintain relationships and lifestyles. The caregivers also benefit from these programs as participation of a loved one will allow them to continue working and/or provide a needed break or “respite” from the many caregiving responsibilities as well as offering emotional support or counseling in the form of caregiver support groups.
Despite the lack of stable public funding, the number of centers continues to increase, reflecting the demand and public awareness of adult day services (day care) as an essential community based service to prolong independence and delay institutional placement.
Adult day care centers can include many of the services listed below:
  Social activities
  Therapeutic activities
  Nutrition (meals and snacks)
  Transportation
  Education
Adult day service (day care) programs can vary widely from provider to provider. Most centers feature several common elements:
  They are offered at a central program location.
  They are open several hours per day.
  They provide a midday meal and snacks.
  They have no overnight stays.
  They offer a set of core services, always including socialization, watchful oversight, supervision/monitoring and nutrition.
  They provide, or arrange for, other services, depending on the needs of the persons served.
While most adult day service (day care) centers operate programs five days a week during normal business hours, some programs may offer evening and weekend services. Adult day service (day care) centers operate under a variety of auspices, and with varying levels of professional services.


ADULT DAY CARE GRANTS

Social Services Block Grant

The Social Services Block Grant is a federal program that awards funds to states for the provision of social services. Although states determine which agencies and projects can receive the funds, the United States Department of Health and Human Services reports that one type of program supported by these grants is adult daycare. Furthermore, the grant is intended to help individuals become independent, self-sufficient and to reduce neglect. Organizations starting an adult daycare center can learn more about opportunities through their states by contacting their state departments of social services.

Administration on Aging Grants

Because many people consuming adult daycare centers are the elderly, the Administration on Aging offers a number of grants that can be used to fund adult daycare centers where the elderly reside. For example, in 2011, the AOA made funds available to State Units on Aging for the creation of a statewide services network capable of caring for dementia patients. The administration also offers grants to nonprofit, educational and academic organizations for research and services in the area of respite care and caregiver support, nutrition, research and the prevention of elder abuse. Organizations and states wanting to create adult daycare facilities may be eligible for some of these funds, depending on what kind of residents they will serve and what types of services they will provide.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grants

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation offers grant funds to public universities, nonprofit organizations and other public agencies for the improvement of health-care services, including adult daycare. Although the foundation prefers to grant programs that can be easily assessed, such as research and training initiatives, organizations that want to start or reorganize adult daycare facilities may be eligible for grants to fund a part of their projects, such as staff training or innovative programs.


Department of Veterans Affairs Grants

Since many veterans are in need of adult day services, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers project grants for the creation of community programs for eligible veterans. Adult daycare centers that will offer services to veterans and agree to receive per diem compensation from the VA may be eligible, as long as they offer all of the medical services required by the federal agency. Organizations interested in creating such a program should visit the VA website for more information.