Wall St. Journal – December 19, 2002 – “When Your Parents Need a Baby Sitter: Adult Day-Care Centers in Short Supply” (Work and Family, Sue Shellenbarger, p. D1)

This article does an excellent job of pointing out the important role adult day care can play in the long-term care continuum. Aging adults who might otherwise succumb to isolation and depression if kept at home with an aide, sitter or companion can blossom in the socially more active setting provided by adult day care. It says there are about 3,407 centers now, well under the number needed in the country, and only 39% of them offer the extended hours that working caregivers need.

To locate adult day care centers, an eldercare locator can be reached at 800-677-1116 or www.eldercare.gov. Other resources are the National Adult Day Services Association (www.nadsa.org) local senior centers, Area Agency on Aging, and of course, the Yellow Pages.

The average cost of adult day care is cited at $56 per day, much less than assisted living at $500/week or home care or nursing home care which can easily reach $1,000 a week. The article says, "about 75% of policies sold last year would cover it."

The article says that “Medicaid funds can be used for adult day care in most states for elders who qualify.” The operative word here is “can”. Most states have secured permission to use Medicaid funds for home and community-based services, but anemic Medicaid budgets means that people who must be institutionalized get priority, so it’s rare to have enough Medicaid dollars for services like adult day care and home care. www.WSJ.com