Adult

You have two major options when your elderly loved one can no longer take care of themselves. These options are residency in a nursing home or hiring a home health aide to pick up the slack. While these are two of the most popular options, they are not the only ones available to you and your family. A lesser known option might be best for your loved one. Because of this, you should consider every possibility before making a decision. You can learn about adult day cares here to determine if it is the right choice for your loved one.

What is an Adult Day Care?

Adult day care centers are open during normal business hours just as any other day care would be. The name explains it all. Nursing homes and home health aides can be expensive and unnecessary. Most elder adults would prefer to live out the rest of their lives in their own homes. Adult day care is one alternative. This is a place where caregivers can drop off a loved one during the day. This allows them to run errands, tend to another job, or even just get a break. Many elderly adults find this option appealing because it gives them a chance to get out of the house. They have the opportunity to socialize with people their own age. At the same time, it allows an elderly person’s family time to take care of personal matters. It helps them prepare to continue looking after their elderly loved one.

Adult Day Care Abuse

Unfortunately, abuse in adult day care centers can occur. The elderly nature of the people put into adult day care centers is the main reason for neglect and abuse. Staff members may not have a lot of respect for the people they should be taking care of for the day. Patients may also not be able to communicate to their loved ones and tell them that abuse has occurred. In patients that suffer from Alzheimer’s, they might not even remember the abusive event. But, since adult day cares provide short-term care for elders, abuse might be easier to spot. This is because you will be spending more time with your loved one and be able to pick up on any issues.

You can help prevent adult day care abuse. Don’t allow your loved one to go to adult day care with valuable items or large amounts of cash on them. This could your loved one to become targeted for financial abuse. Also, observe the condition of your elder when dropping them off at the center. That way it will be easier to spot any changes with their personality or body when you go pick them up at the end of the day. Some signs you may look for when picking your loved one up from an adult day care center are:

• New and unexplained marks such as bruises or cuts.
• Changes in behavior.
• Sudden depression.
• Obvious negative mood change when dropped off at day care center.
• Any signs of property stolen.

Employee Qualifications

Another way to prevent abuse is by making sure that employees are qualified to care for the elderly. Just because this is short-term care does not mean that employees should not be trained. If you find that your loved one’s needs cannot be met in an adult day care center, you should consider pursuing a more permanent care option.

Elder adults that can no longer take care of themselves should be monitored. A caregiver to an elder, who needs around the clock watch, will need a break. That is where adult day care centers come in. Though these are less permanent options than nursing homes, be aware that abuse may occur. If you suspect that your loved one is being neglected or abused in an adult day care center, alert someone immediately. Do not drop them off there for the day anymore. Legal actions may be taken against the center immediately.