Why an Adult Day Care Business Can Be a Great Opportunity

An adult day care business can provide something increasingly important to families and communities: a safe, supportive place for older adults and adults who need assistance during the day while allowing them to continue living at home. As families balance work, caregiving and the needs of aging parents, adult day services can fill an important gap between completely independent living and full-time residential care.

For an entrepreneur, healthcare professional or established care organization, that growing need can also create an opportunity to build a business that provides an essential community service.

The Need for Adult Day Care Is Growing

Families are often responsible for caring for parents or other relatives who may no longer be comfortable spending an entire day alone.

At the same time, many of those individuals don’t need—or aren’t ready for—assisted living or a nursing facility.

Adult day programs can provide a middle ground.

Depending on the program and level of care offered, services may include:

• Supervision and assistance during the day
• Social activities and companionship
• Meals and snacks
• Exercise and recreational programs
• Transportation
• Medication assistance
• Personal care
• Health monitoring
• Memory-care programming
• Access to nursing or other healthcare support

This allows participants to receive care and interaction during the day while returning to their own homes in the evening.

Supporting Families and Caregivers

The benefits extend well beyond the individual attending the program.

Family caregivers frequently have jobs, children and other responsibilities of their own. Providing care for an aging parent throughout the day can make maintaining a normal work schedule extremely difficult.

An adult day care business can give caregivers a dependable place for a family member to spend the day.

That can allow a son, daughter or spouse to:

• Continue working
• Attend appointments
• Care for children
• Run errands
• Maintain other family responsibilities
• Have scheduled respite from caregiving

For many families, adult day care can help make it possible to keep a parent or loved one living at home longer.

Social Interaction Can Be Just as Important as Care

Not every participant needs extensive medical assistance.

Isolation can become a significant issue for older adults, particularly those who no longer drive or have limited opportunities to socialize outside the home.

An adult day program can provide structure and a reason to get out of the house.

Activities, meals, conversation and interaction with other participants can turn what might otherwise be a long day at home into an active social experience.

The best programs can become genuine communities of their own.

Medical Backing Can Expand the Services Offered

Adult day care can range from primarily social programs to adult day health programs offering a higher level of support.

Programs with appropriate medical staffing may be able to serve individuals who require additional assistance or monitoring. Depending on the program, licensing and applicable regulations, that might involve nurses, therapists, social workers, personal care professionals or other healthcare providers.

This can be particularly valuable for families caring for individuals with:

• Mobility limitations
• Memory impairment
• Chronic medical conditions
• Medication needs
• Physical or occupational therapy needs
• Personal care requirements

Someone considering an adult day care business should determine early what level of service they intend to provide. Staffing, licensing, insurance and facility requirements can differ significantly depending upon the services offered.

It Can Be More Cost-Efficient Than Residential Care

Adult day services can also occupy an important position financially.

A family may need help caring for a parent during working hours but have no need for 24-hour residential care. Paying for care only during the portion of the day when assistance is actually needed can provide another option.

It can also allow families to combine resources.

Adult day care might be used together with family caregiving, home health services or other community programs rather than relying exclusively on one form of care.

That flexibility is one of the reasons these programs can be so valuable within a community.

Finding the Right Commercial Space Can Be Difficult

Having a good business concept is only part of opening an adult day care facility.

Finding the right property can be one of the biggest challenges.

A typical retail storefront or office suite may not work particularly well. An adult day care facility may need a combination of large gathering areas, private offices, activity or treatment rooms, multiple bathrooms and adequate space for staff and support functions.

Depending on the proposed operation and local requirements, prospective operators may also need to consider:

• Accessibility
• Parking and passenger drop-off areas
• Bathroom configuration
• Kitchen or food-service areas
• Emergency exits
• Fire and life-safety requirements
• Zoning and permitted uses
• Building occupancy requirements
• Transportation access
• Space for administrative and medical staff

A property that has previously been configured for this type of operation can therefore be particularly interesting to someone considering opening or expanding a program.

We Currently Have a Former Adult Day Care Facility Available

If you’re exploring an adult day care business and have discovered how difficult it can be to find appropriate space, we currently have a commercial property available that deserves a closer look.

AVAILABLE COMMERCIAL SPACE:

[View Our Former Adult Day Care Facility for Lease →]

The approximately 5,050-square-foot first-floor space was previously used as an adult day care facility and already offers a layout that could be well suited to another care provider.

The space includes:

• Approximately 5,050 square feet
• Five bathrooms
• One bathroom with a shower
• Two larger interior offices or classroom-style rooms
• Six smaller offices or private rooms
• Large common areas
• First-floor accessibility

For an operator starting a new program or an established organization looking to expand, beginning with a property previously used for adult day care could eliminate some of the challenges associated with trying to adapt a conventional office or retail space.

Any prospective operator should independently verify zoning, licensing, accessibility, building-code and regulatory requirements for their proposed use.

A Business That Can Make a Difference Locally

There are plenty of businesses that sell a product or service. Adult day care is different because a successful program can become an important resource for an entire community.

Help an older adult maintain independence.

Give a caregiver the ability to continue working.

Provide companionship to someone who would otherwise spend much of the day alone.

Give families another option between managing everything themselves and moving a loved one into full-time residential care.

For the right operator, an adult day care business can combine a viable business opportunity with something equally important: providing a service that families in the surrounding community genuinely need.