Growth of Adult Day Care

The Met Life Mature Market Institute recently published a study showing the rise in use of adult day care centers.

Researchers from The Ohio State University College of Social Work collected and analyzed data from 557 Adult Day Services centers, which represented a 40% return from a randomly selected group of 1,518 Adult Day Services centers. Surveys were predominantly completed by center administrators.

Among the findings:

  • Almost 80% of centers have professional nursing staff and about 50% have a social worker and physical, occupational, or speech therapy
  • Direct care worker-to-participant ratio is 1:6
  • Over 80% of participants attend full days and 46% attend five days per week
  • Centers are serving populations with higher levels of physical disability and chronic disease
  • ADS centers are leaders in providing care to individuals with Alzheimeräó»s disease and other dementias
  • Approximately 90% provide cognitive stimulation programs
  • Most centers provide caregiver support including educational programs (70%) and caregiver support groups (58%)

As the continuum of care continues to shift people are finding adult day centers as a solution for their elder’s needs. Often times, unless someone does not have the ability to leave the home, these are a great place for not just care but much needed socialization. You may want to look at this type of setting for a loved one.