One of the key factors in helping people to age in place is making sure the social aspects of care are provided in the community. Adult day care oradult day services(ADS) are a major piece of the care puzzle for those older adults with physical or mental challenges who wish to remain at home and still have a high quality of life. With increased importance comes increased scrutiny, including an increasing number of requirements for both staff and facilities. From the point of view of families and the seniors, the fact that they love this is, of course, a plus.
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Licensing, Certification, and Other Requirements
The majority of states require licensure, certification, or both. According to the Department of Health and Human Services:
Licensing procedures vary from state to state, with different requirements based on the type of services provided. For example, a day care program that serves adults with dementia will have to meet specific guidelines, as must a program that operates both day and night.
States that neither license nor certify generally require publicly funded ADS providers to enter into official agreements with a state agency, specifying that they will comply with mandated requirements.
With thegrowth of the aging population,specific standards will continue to evolve.
Definitions of Adult Day Services
States vary considerably in the terms they use for ADS. Adult day health care is defined as a supervised daytime program providing skilled nursing and rehabilitative therapy services in addition to core services provided in adult day care.
Definitions of adult day services generally incorporate a statement about their purpose, the number of people who can be served, and limits on the number of hours a person may be served.
Staffing Requirements
1 SourceVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Department of Health & Human Services.Regulatory review of adult day services: final report, 2014 edition.
1 Source
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Department of Health & Human Services.Regulatory review of adult day services: final report, 2014 edition.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Department of Health & Human Services.Regulatory review of adult day services: final report, 2014 edition.
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