Consumers
Adult Day Services (ADS) centers are a key provider of long-term care services in the United States. They provide a program of activities, health monitoring, socialization, and assistance with daily activities which allows individuals to continue to lives in their homes and receive needed care in a supportive, professionally staffed, community-based setting.
Adult Day Services also benefit family caregivers by enabling them to remain in the workforce or receive needed respite and by providing them with direct services (e.g., educational programs, support groups). They provide cost-effective care while supporting individual autonomy, allowing individuals to “age in place,” and enhancing the quality of life for both participants and family caregivers.
With the projected growth in the older population and resulting increase in the numbers of individuals who require long-term care, the need for community-based providers such as adult day services centers will continue to grow. Disability not only impacts the individual, but also the family members and friends who provide care and assistance. The costs of caregiving can include physical, emotional and financial tolls that impact individuals, families and society (e.g., lost productivity, premature nursing home placement).
Key findings from The MetLife National Study of Adult Day Services provide a picture of the important role Adult Day Services play in meeting the care needs of today’s population.
Making a Difference
Adult Day Services centers serve as an emerging provider of transitional care and short-term rehabilitation following hospital discharge.
Their reliable support helps restore balance in times of crisis and enhance overall quality of life for caregivers.
Adult Day Services allow working caregivers to attend to job responsibilities with the comfort of knowing their family member is in a professionally staffed, supportive group program.
For individuals who have long-term care insurance policies that cover adult day services, it can serve as a less costly solution that will help to efficiently use the maximum benefits available under their plan.
Adult Day Services can benefit employees who are caregivers with a viable work/life solution that can result in a more productive and satisfied workforce.
Resources
- 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers: https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/RAISE_SGRG/NatlStrategyToSupportFamilyCaregivers.pdf
- Webinar: National Family Caregiving Strategy: A State Roadmap for Supporting Family Caregivers
- Alzheimer’s Association
- Alzheimer’s Foundation of America
- American Diabetes Association
- American Heart Association
- BOLD Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving
- Family Care Giver Alliance – Services by State
- Lewy Body Dementia Association
- National Family Caregiver Support Program
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society
- National Parkinson’s Foundation
- National Stroke Association
- The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration
- Veteran Aid & Assistance Program
- Veteran-Directed Care Program