What is adult day health, and would my parent go?

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Adult day health is a supervised program at a center during the day, with health oversight, meals, activity and social contact. It is a service in Georgia's EDWP waiver, used by members who should not be alone all day and by families whose caregiver works or needs relief.

What it is

Adult day health is a program at a center, during the day, for adults who need supervision and some health oversight but do not need to live in a facility. A member is dropped off or transported in, spends the day there, and goes home.

What happens in the day varies by center, but generally includes staff keeping an eye on health and safety, help with personal care during the day, a meal, activity of some kind, and other people to be around.

Who it is for

Two situations, and often both at once.

The first is a member who should not be alone all day - because of memory loss, because of falls, because of a medical condition that needs watching, or because being alone all day is doing visible harm.

The second is the family. A caregiver who works, or who is caring for somebody else too, or who is running out of capacity, gets a predictable block of hours where they know the person is safe. That is not a side effect of the service, it is part of what it is for.

How it gets into a care plan

The case manager assesses the need for daytime supervision as part of the overall assessment, and adult day health goes into the plan of care where it fits. The plan is approved by the member’s physician or by the case management agency’s medical director. The member then chooses among the day centers available in their area.

Visit the centers before deciding. They differ a great deal from one another, and the difference between a center that suits someone and one that does not is usually obvious within twenty minutes of walking in.

What it does not cover

It is not overnight care. The member goes home at the end of the day. Where overnight relief is the need, that is out-of-home respite.
It is not a medical clinic. There is health oversight; there is not a doctor’s appointment.
It may not be nearby. Availability and distance are real constraints, and a center an hour away rarely works in practice.
It does not replace personal support at home. Mornings and evenings still have to be covered, and both services often sit in the same plan.

Questions people ask about this

Is adult day health the same as a nursing home?

No. It is a day program. The member goes in the morning and comes home the same day. It exists partly so that people do not have to move into a facility, and it is one of the services that makes staying at home workable when a family caregiver works.

My father says he will not go. Is there any point?

Refusal is common at first, and it often softens after a few visits, particularly where the program has activity he actually recognizes as worth doing. It is also a legitimate answer. Nobody can be made to attend, and if he will not, the plan needs to hold together another way. Say so to the case manager rather than fighting it privately.

Is transport to the center included?

Transport arrangements vary by provider, so it is a question to ask each center directly before the plan is finalized, and to have written into the plan if it is part of what makes attendance possible.

Can somebody with dementia attend?

Many centers work with members who have memory loss, and some are set up specifically for it. What matters is the match between the person's needs and what a particular center is equipped for. Visit before deciding, and take the member with you if that is realistic.

Clinically reviewed by Cathy Nisbett, RN, CCM — Head Nurse and Lead Case Manager · September 2026