Adult day care and adult day health may help you stay in your home and community. These centers provide daytime care out of the home. The main difference in day care and day health is the amount of health care services provided. Adult day health provides more.
To determine what level of adult day care your loved one needs, you should assess what services and special features are important to you. A reputable adult day care service will send you brochures, schedules of activities, menus, and application forms at your request. It is always a good idea to pre-screen individual program sites by asking questions about their services. Some examples of questions include:
- Ask about the hours of operation and days they are open.
- Find out about age requirements, their policy on functional status and special needs such as wheel chairs, etc.
- The cost and if there are discounts for per week or month.
- Activities provided.
- Credentials of staff and the staff to participant ratio.
- If the center is licensed by the state.
When you schedule a preliminary visit it is best to make an appointment to meet with the Program Director. They should be able to answer any questions you may have concerning services provided. While you are there, be sure and notice the physical environment of the center. Look for lack of bad odors and pleasant surroundings such as an outdoor area or garden. Make sure that the center is wheel chair accessible and has adequate fire safety measures available. You can also learn a great deal by the manner in which the staff behaves toward the participants. A good adult day care center should have a pleasant staff who will be available at all times to care for the participants and be able to also aid their families in any problems that may arise. It would also be a good idea to sit in on some of the activities offered to determine if they will be appropriate for your loved one.
If your first impression of the center is a favorable one, ask the Program Director for the names of two or three other families who use the center. These references should be able to tell you what they think about the program and if they would recommend it.
By doing your own evaluation, you can gain insight into the way adult day care works for others in your community, and get a sense of how services could help you in your caregiving role.
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