Retirement News : Seniors : United States Seniors' day care centers will become a must

United States Seniors' day care centers will become a must

Date Added: 04-05-2005

Adult day care centers offer a measure of independence to seniors as well as their caregivers. And as the baby boom generation continues to age, adult day care is becoming an increasingly popular option.

According to the National Alliance for Caregiving 22.4 million households, nearly one in four, provide care to an elderly relative or friend age 50 or older.
Many caregivers must stop working to stay home with elderly loved ones. Others hire medical professionals to visit the home. Many end up sending their loved ones to assisted-living facilities or nursing homes.
Day care centers are a solution that is likely to become much more common in the future.
They allow caregivers to continue working while keeping their parents at home. And they provide seniors with a place to socialize, keep active and get proper assistance from medical professionals.
The challenge for many caregivers is to help elderly loved ones cope with what can be a difficult transition from living an independent life to one in which they will eventually need 24-hour care.
Newsday (Minding our elders ; 15/04/2005) writes that today, more than 3,500 centers are already operating across the country but according to the National Adult Day Services Association, about 8,520 more are needed. And those numbers will inevitably rise as baby-boomers age.
It is estimated that there will be 70 million people age 50 or older by 2030, more than twice the number in 2000.
It has become widely recognized that elderly people need to get out of the home and interact with others because it increases their quality of life.
Adult day care centers usually provide services such as arrangements for transportation to and from the program activities, exercise, rehabilitation, meals and snacks, as well as assistance in the bathroom and personal needs.
Licensed centers have a nurse and social worker on site. Many also provide counselling for the caregiver, or the family as a whole, to help them deal with the stress and frustration of caring for an elderly parent.
Typically, average daily costs for adult day care centers run between $.60 to $.80.

For More Information:

http://www.seniorscopie.com/actu/article.asp?id=050502212449&rub=swi