A Step-by-Step Guide to Adult Daycare for Someone With Alzheimer's

Adult daycare offers valuable respite to caregivers of patients who have Alzheimer's or other dementia, while also providing the patient with important cognitive and social stimulation that may slow the disease's progress. Here's how to line up care.

Step 1: Find out if the person is eligible for adult daycare services.

Adult daycare services are typically available to people with Alzheimer's who are living in their own homes (or with a caregiver) and who:

• Are in the early- to mid-stage of the disease
• Don't require constant one-on-one assistance
• Have some mobility (most programs allow a self-propelled wheelchair)
• Are continent (sometimes just bowel, sometimes bowel and bladder)
• Are not physically or verbally abusive
• Do not wander excessively

Depending on the program, you may need:

• Documentation of a doctor's diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer's
• Proof the person lives within the community (for state-sponsored programs)
• An intake examination by the staff to determine eligibility according to its own requirements

Step 2: Look into what daycare services are available

Canvass local resources to determine programs in your area. Make a list of the possibilities so you can systematically check them out. You'll probably want to look at several, because no two programs are identical.

Shortcuts to finding programs:

• Your local Area Agency on Aging
• Caring.com's Local Aging Resources directory
• Your local Alzheimer's Association
• The National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA), for a list of local members
• The patient's physician(s)
• Fellow Alzheimer's care-giving support group, if you belong to one
• Other sources:

• The Yellow Pages (try "adult daycare" and "senior care," but the listings may be imprecise)
• An eldercare consultant
• Friends, colleagues, and neighbors