Adult Medical Day Care

Medical economics, managed care, governmental cut-backs, each a catalyst for downsizing, has created a climate of unprecedented financial pressures. Consequently, new alliances and strategies for growth are at the forfront. Emerging as a viable affordable health care alternative, adult day care is such an alliance. Adult day care, a community based program designed to meet the needs of functionally impaired adults through an individual plan of care, is a structred comprehensive program. Adult day care is composed of from 5-8 hours of care/programming including door-to-door transportation and lunch for senior citizens who require assistance with one or more activities of daily living.

The financial incentive to start one's own medical adult day care center is excellent. Most states provide a Medicaid waiver  which allows the elderly to stay at home in thier own community. Moreover, grant money is also available.

Medicare Funding for Adult Day Care

Adult Day Care Centers are typically funded by Medicaid and private pay clients. However, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (CA) has announced the introduction of the Medicare Adult Day Services Act of 2012 (H.R. 6476) which would provide more cost-effective, skilled care options for seniors, people with disabilities, and familiesin the Medicare program.

H.R. 6476 would allow pateints who qualify for home health services or nursing home care under the Medicare program to choose the option of adult day care services instead. By paying adult day care providers 98% of the home health rate, the "medicare adult day services  act of 2012 could also yeild savings to medicare.

In addition to increasing choices for seniors and people with disabilities, the Medicare Adult Day Services Act of 2012  bill would provide a vital service to family caregivers. While taking care of loved ones, these caregivers lose an average of $659,139 in wages, pension benefits, and social security  benefits over a lifetime, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance. By providing this adult care choice to medicare beneficiaries, H.R. 6476 helps protecct a family's economic weel-being, with out adding to the cost of Medicare.

Congresswoman Sanchez also introduced Medicare Adult Day Care legislation in the 111th Congress which garnered support for 98 co-sponsors  and over 100 state and national consumer and provider organizations.

This has all been stated by the National Adult Day Services Association.

A Typical Adult Day Care Center

Most adult Day Care Centers operate Monday Through Friday from 6:30am to 6:00pm. Centers are usually administered by a professional in the business/health care administration, nursing or social work field. Professional services are provided by a Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse and recreational and therapy professionals. The typical direct care is a ratio of 1:6.

Fees average $61.71 per day and typically come from Medicaid or other public source inclusing Veterans Administration, state/local social services or directly from a private -pay participant.

Though participants are diverse in age, ethnicity and ability, the average participant is 65 plus years old, white female with dementia, hypertension or a physical disability requiring assistance with at least one activity of daily living and medication management. She lives with an adult child or spouse, or lives alone, but primarily recieves care from an adult child.

There has been significant growth in the number of Adult Day Services Centers in the USA over the past eight years, acccording to a new study by the MetLife Mature market Institute. There are more than 4,600 Adult Day Services (ADS) centers nationwide, a 35% increase since 2002. These centers serve about 260,000 people, an increase of more than 100,000 since 2002. Twenty-nine percent of the centers have waiting lists. More than half of the participants are women; 30 percent are under age 65.

This study has found that the centers have significantly upgraded the level of services they provide. 80 percent now have a professional nursing staff and 50% have a social work professional. Half provide phyhsical, occupational and speech therapy. Approximately 90% of the centers offer cognitive stimulation programs, while 80% have memory training. Most centers provide programs for caregivers, inclusing education, support groups and individual counseling. The ratio of direct care worker to participant is now 1:6.

Adult Day Care Center Information

The most recent nationwide survey of adult day centers confirmed over 4,600 centers operating in the United States providing care for 150,000 care recipients each day.¹ Nearly 78 percent of adult day centers are operated on a nonprofit or public basis and the remaining 22 percent are for profit.¹ 70 percent of adult day centers are affiliated with larger organizations such as home care, skilled nursing facilities, medical centers, or multi-purpose senior organizations. The average age of the adult day center care recipient is 72¹, and two-thirds of all adult day center care recipients are women. Thirty-five percent of the adult day center care recipients live with an adult child, 20% with a spouse, 18% in an institutional setting, 13% with parents or other relatives, while 11% live alone.¹ Fifty-two percent of the adult day center care recipients using adult day services centers nationwide have some cognitive impairment.¹ Daily fees for adult day services vary depending upon the services provided. The national average rate for adult day centers is $61 per day (includes 8-10 hours on average) compared to an average rate for home health aides of $19 per hour.² Funding for adult day services comes from fees for service and third party payers, as well as public and philanthropic sources. The average capacity of adult day centers is 40. ² The average adult day center care recipient to staff ratio is 6:1. ²

Grants for starting an Adult Day Care Center

Because adult daycare services represent an important community need, both government and nonprofit organizations offer grants to assist with their creation. Although finding a grant to cover the entire cost of an adult daycare center's construction and upkeep is unlikely, grants that support particular programs that can be offered by the daycare center will help make offering quality care easier.
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.

How adult day care is shaping the healthcare field

There are more than 4,600 adult day services centers across the U.S. — a 35% increase since 2002.

• More than 260,000 participants and family caregivers are serviced — an increase of over 100,000, or 63%, since 2002.

Adult Day care has become an integral part of the healthcare continuum for the elderly and for people with developmental disabilities since its inception 25 years ago in the United States. It cares for the elderly by helping them with Daily activities of Living, by supressing their loneiness, giving them a place to go to every day to visit with friends and in some cases has saved their lives. There is an adult day care center in Bayonne, New Jersey who's nurses were so attentive to their clients physical states that they noticed small changes in their health which led to them calling the client's doctors. They reported the changes to the doctors, the clients were seen by their doctors and life changing procedures were done to save their lives. Both clients are still happily attending the adult day care center.

Adult day care and Assisted Living Group, LLC has been assisting nurses, hospitals, nursing homes, entrepeneurs and Universities to start successful adult day care centers for the past 18 years. It is our pleasure to serve you and to make Adult Day Care the leading choice in daily senior care in the United States. We have also assisted Poland, Spain, the Virgin Islands, Argentina and China create Adult Day Care Centers.