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What are the Regulations for Adult Day Care Services in a Church?

Daycare centers for adults operate with a different set of regulations than those for children. The daycare centers themselves are generally located within community centers or churches rather than in facilities specially designed as an adult daycare center. Reflecting this, adult daycare centers have regulations concerning facility use, staffing and medical provisions.

  1. Facility Regulations

    • Adult daycare centers should be located in facilities that are accessible to all participants. This means either being situated on the ground floor of a building or at a location accessible by elevator, wheelchair ramp or other assistance devices. Within the chosen facility, there's a minimum space requirement for each participant. While different states vary in determination of this number, the average minimum space requirement is between 40 and 60 square feet of indoor space per individual. Another requirement is ensuring that the daycare center has the proper number of toilets to correspond with the number of participants. State regulations require there be at least 1 toilet for every 10 to 15 people. A minimum of half the toilets should be wheelchair accessible while the others should have grab bars to assist the patients. Also located within the facility should be a rest area with suitable furniture for people to rest comfortably.

    Staffing Regulations

    • All people employed by or volunteering at an adult daycare center are required to pass a criminal record check. Each state has its own staff to patient ratio, which varies between 1:4 and 1:10. In determining this ratio, volunteers may only be included if they have the necessary education and experience as required by the state. Many states lower this ratio to 1:3 in cases where the daycare center also cares for patients who have or exhibit signs of dementia. At all times, adult daycare centers are required to have at least one member of staff on hand who is aware of the facility's emergency and safety procedures. This person should also have first aid and CPR training.

    Medical Requirement Regulations

    • Adult daycare centers are designed to help elderly people who require assistance during the day. This assistance is often of a medical nature so some states require that a nurse (registered, licensed practical or licensed vocational) be on the premises. Most adult daycare centers require the facility to offer activities for daily living (ADL) services and health monitoring. ADL services can include anything that help promotes a safe and healthy life for the patients including personal hygiene, mobility issues and assistance with bladder or bowel evacuation. Services such as physical, occupational or speech therapy are not a requirement for all adult daycare services, but those that offer it should have the necessary personnel and facilities. When medication is kept on the premises, it should be locked away and any medication that shares a refrigerator with foodstuffs needs to be kept in a locked and labeled, leak-proof container.

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