Adult day care centers were created to reduce isolation, depression, and cognitive and physical decline among community-dwelling older adults. They are designed to help older adults continue to live at home or in the community for as long as possible. They typically provide a supportive, professional staff that addresses the nutritional, daily living, and social needs of adults with functional limitations within a group setting during the day (Ellen et al., 2017).

In the United States, there are more than 4,600 adult day service centers serving nearly 286,000 people (Caffrey and Lenden, 2019). In Florida, there are approximately 349 adult daycare centers providing therapeutic programs, social services, health services, and activities for adults in a non-institutional setting. Nearly half of adult daycare clients have Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder (FADSA, 2021).

A small number of centers in Florida are licensed to provide specialized Alzheimer’s adult daycare services. These centers are specifically designated to treat clients with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia and generally enroll a higher percentage of clients with dementia than do regular adult day centers. Specialized dementia training and a specialty license is required to provide services as a Specialized Alzheimer's Services Adult Day Care Center. (O’Keeffe, 2014, latest available).

In general, adult daycare clients are younger and more racially and ethnically diverse than users of other long-term care services. In 2018, about 57% of adult day services center participants were female, 45% were non-Hispanic white, and 39% were under age 65 (Lendon and Singh, 2021).

Most adult day participants attend at least 3 days each week and most use transport services provided by the centers. In 2022, the median cost of adult day care services in the U.S. was $81 per day (Alzheimer’s Association, 2023).