In general there are three types of adult care for seniors. The lines between them can get a little fuzzy as there are no hard and fast rules for the specific services a particular facility chooses to provide. So when you are searching for a facility, the most important thing to do is determine the types of care the elder needs regardless of how the facility classifies its services.

The three basic types of senior day care  include:

• Socialization and safety centers
• Medical, therapy and socialization centers
• Alzheimer’s and dementia care centers

As you might expect, when a center refers to itself as an adult day health care program, it indicates that the facility provides for at least some elements of the patient’s health care. They are not just baby-sitting centers or recreation centers for seniors. The adult day health care (ADHC) designation is usually used to denote care facilities that are licensed by the state in which they operate to provide their participants with medical and health care.

In many states, if a center is not certified for things like providing psych evaluations, social workers, and medication administration, it will simply be referred to as an adult day care center. When a facility is not licensed by the state, there is a greater chance that costs of the day care program will not be eligible for reimbursement through Medicaid.

Most states have an established licensing procedure for regulating ADHCs. This process is required in order for the facility to be approved for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. Medicare will not cover the costs associated with day care programs. However, in a licensed facility or an Alzheimer’s facility, costs might be covered for seniors who meet certain financial criteria.

If you need ADHC services, you should be aware that in many cases limited openings are available for enrollment at licensed facilities. Because of this, many facilities have been forced to institute waiting lists. You should check with providers in your area to get the details.