One of the most significant challenges for caregivers is finding relief from caregiving duties. Hiring a personal care agency is one option, but the cost can be prohibitive, and there are limitations to what a professional caregiver can provide. One idea to consider is adult day care for your loved one. Where you live may determine how many choices you have. However, exploring what is available may provide you and your loved one with benefits unavailable elsewhere. Here, we’ll provide an overview of adult day care and how it may be helpful to you and your loved one.
Who is adult day care for?
Adult day care offers many benefits to older adults living at home and their caregivers. It is an option for adults not living in a senior living facility who have disabilities or cognitive impairments or require help and supervision with daily activities during the daytime. Older adults can get assistance with activities of daily living in addition to opportunities for socialization and cognitive engagement. Participants may have access to activities, meals, and outings.
Adult day care also benefits caregivers by offering respite from caregiving duties. While their loved one is there, family caregivers can have a chance to rest or take care of other responsibilities around the home or at work. It can give them the peace of mind that comes from knowing their loved one is safely cared for.
What are the services and activities that adult day care offers?
This type of care generally falls into two categories. The first is social adult day care, which offers services that may include:
- Recreational and exercise activities.
- Meals and snacks.
- Transportation within a defined radius.
- Socialization.
- Some health monitoring.
The other category is adult day health care (ADHC). In addition to the services offered by social adult day care, ADHC may offer:
- Physical and occupational therapy.
- Medication management.
- Health screening.
- Diabetes management.
- Wound dressing changes.
Typical staffing
Staffing will vary depending on whether the center is a social adult day care center or an adult day health care center, but you may find these professionals on duty:
- Nurses and nursing aides.
- Recreation and activity directors.
- Social workers.
- Dietary consultants.
- Volunteers who may provide transportation, assist with activities, and help with meals.
- Physical and occupational therapists.
Staffing requirements will differ depending on where you live. Most states have a minimum staff-to-recipient ratio, which typically ranges between 1-to-4 and 1-to-10.
Cost
Adult day care centers are typically a more cost-effective solution than home care or home health care. The cost will vary widely depending on the type of day care, where you live, the availability of centers, and whether they are for-profit or nonprofit. Genworth provides a daily median cost of adult day health care, which in 2025 is projected to be $101 a day. Some centers offer a half-day option, which would reduce the cost.
Medicare usually does not cover adult day care, although some Medicare Advantage plans may offer coverage. Financial assistance may be available through Medicaid or the Department of Veterans Affairs. Many long-term care insurance policies also offer a daily rate for adult day care.
How to find and choose an adult day care
The first step in finding adult day care centers in your community is to visit the National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA). Once you know what is available in your area, you can take the following steps and ask these questions to determine which center is best for you and your loved one.
- Assess your loved one’s needs to determine if the center can address them. Contact the center to see what services it offers.
- If your loved one has special dietary requirements, ensure the dietary staff can accommodate those requests.
- Ask to see the daily schedule of activities.
- Ask about flexible scheduling (e.g., half days or only a few days a week).
- Ask whether the center offers transportation.
- If your loved one has dementia, ask about specific staff training for dementia.
- Ask whether the center is certified or licensed and who the owner is. Verify if the staff goes through background screening.
- Ask about the staff-to-resident ratio.
- Ask for references from other families who use the center.
- Visit the center to evaluate whether it is clean and safe.
Some seniors may be hesitant or reluctant to try adult day care. However, staff in these centers are experienced in making the transition as smooth as possible. Once you have established a scheduled routine in adult day care, you’ll be able to enjoy its many benefits. You can rest, work, or take care of life obligations and know that your loved one has professional care at a day program while they continue to live at home.
