Senior Day Care

Senior day care programs in San Diego County can provide:

• Care and oversight for a loved one while a caregiver is gone during the day
• Socialization outside the home to prevent a feeling of isolation
• Activities and outings to help a senior stay mentally and physically active
• Attention to health care needs
• A much need break (respite) for a primary caregiver

What Does Senior Day Care Provide?

Senior day care programs can be either a medical model or a non-medical, social model. Some of San Diego’s senior day care programs operate as both types.

Some medical model day programs may include:

• Nursing Care
• Physical Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Speech Therapy
• Psychological Services

Who Pays For San Diego Senior Day Care?

Medi-Cal covers at least a portion of many programs. However, some senior day care programs operate on a sliding scale, depending upon a senior’s income.

These sliding scale programs are the social, non-medical model called Adult Day Program.

Adult Day Programs are not required to provide any medical care, but most will provide basic health monitoring and safety checks. They will always have meals, activities, socialization and sometimes outings. Many programs also provide caregiver support.

Not all senior day programs will accept a senior with cognitive impairment.

Questions To Ask San Diego Senior Day Care

As you search for the most appropriate senior day care program, here are questions to ask:

1. Does the program serve seniors in a similar age, demographic, and ethnic group as the potential participant?
2. Does the program serve seniors with similar conditions and care needs?
3. Does the program serve seniors with dementia and to what degree of dementia?
4. Does the program serve seniors who are non-ambulatory? Incontinent?
5. Does the program have accessibility limits? For example, can a senior use a wheelchair or be visually impaired?
6. Does the program evaluate the participant before admission and how does that evaluation take place?
7. Is the program center inviting?
8. What do participants do during their day?
9. Is the program covered by Medi-Cal? If not, what does the program cost?
10. What are the program days and hours and is there a minimum attendance required?
11. Does the program include meals and snacks?
12. Does the program offer transportation to and from the center, or on outings?
13. Can the participant attend a few times at no cost to see if the program is a fit?

Finally, be sure to take a tour of the senior day care program to see if it feels right for your elderly loved one.