Risks Associated With Adult Day Care

Caring for an elderly parent or a loved one with special needs can exhaust even the most dedicated caregivers. Adult day care programs give caregivers a much-needed break while providing loved ones with care, nourishment and social interaction. Adult day care facilities usually operate during traditional daytime business hours Monday through Friday. However, some adult day cares may offer evening and weekend services. In addition to the benefits, families should consider the risks associated with adult day care.

Abuse

• Although adult day care programs promise to provide care, social stimulation and nourishment to people entrusted in their care, staff members may not always treat participants gently or kindly. Adult day care participants may suffer from physical abuse at the hands of staff, including slaps, burns or cuts. Day care participants may also fall victim to financial abuse if staff members improperly access their bank or credit accounts. Psychological abuse in adult day care could include verbal insults, humiliation, intimidation or isolation.

Neglect

• Adult day care workers may neglect day care participants who need medical attention or assistance with basic activities, such as eating or using the restroom. Neglect could result from understaffed facilities, poorly trained employees or people ill suited to caring for adults. The California Healthcare Foundation website warns that sores, dehydration, rashes or malnutrition may result from neglect at an adult day care.

Communicable Diseases

• Wherever people gather, communicable diseases can spread. Adults in day care could risk exposure to colds, influenza or even measles, and not just from their fellow day care participants. According to "Wired," health care workers in Arizona contributed to a 2011 measles outbreak because they failed to get vaccinated. A 2008 "Clinical Geriatrics" article notes that only 40 percent of health care workers reported receiving influenza vaccinations in 2003. While anyone can contract communicable diseases, elderly loved ones may face greater risks of complications or death from illness because of their weaker immune systems.

Food Poisoning

• Adult day care workers who fail to wash their hands or improperly cook and store food can cause serious harm to the people in their care. The risk is especially high for older adult day care participants because of their suppressed immune systems, according to the Adult Day Care Fact Sheet published by the National Food Service Management institute at the University of Mississippi.