California Awards Adult Day Centers More Than $20 Million

October 27, 2023

Investment Will Support Active, Safe Environments for Older Adults and People with Disabilities in the Community

SACRAMENTO – Today, the California Department of Aging (CDA) announced that $20.1 million in grants have been awarded to 354 adult day centers across California that provide older adults and people with disabilities with group activities, meals, health and wellness support, and more, as they live at home in the community.

"By 2030, nearly 11 million Californians will be older adults, and adult day centers are critical to serving this larger, older, and more diverse population," said CDA Director Susan DeMarois. "These awards are a significant investment in our Home and Community-Based Services partners and demonstrate the state’s commitment to supporting older adults and people with disabilities to safely access the services they need."

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: The investments will be used to support adult day centers that offer daily services to older adults and people with disabilities to improve their health, safety, and well-being, reduce isolation, and provide respite to family caregivers.

GRANT AWARDEES: Eligible and licensed Adult Day Health Care (ADHC) centers, Adult Day Programs (ADPs), and the Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) sites applied for up to $100,619 in one-time funding for each eligible licensed facility they operate. The Bridge to Recovery for Adult Day Services: COVID-19 Mitigation and Resilience Grant is supported by General Funds from the California State Budget. A list of grantees is available on the Bridge to Recovery webpage.

HOW THESE PROGRAMS SUPPORT CALIFORNIANS: Adult day centers provide a safe, positive alternative to nursing home care for those who don’t need 24-hour skilled nursing and can live at home. Adult day centers are designed to help people stay mentally and physically active while reducing isolation, improving health, and preventing the decline of their abilities. Individuals typically attend a center in their community two to five times a week, based on their individual need. All programs either provide or can assist with transportation arrangements, and program hours typically range from four to eight hours a day. Services vary from center to center but may include therapeutic activities such as art, singing, age-appropriate games, health monitoring, social work, meals, dietary counseling, and physical, occupational, and speech therapy. These programs offer help to working caregivers to balance the needs of work and caregiving responsibilities, as well as providing respite for full-time family caregivers. Many centers also provide caregiver support groups and training.

ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF AGING: Under the umbrella of the California Health & Human Services Agency, the California Department of Aging (CDA) administers programs that serve older adults, adults with disabilities, family caregivers, and residents in long-term care facilities throughout the state. These programs are funded through the federal Older Americans Act, the Older Californians Act, and the Medi-Cal program. CDA actively collaborates with many other state departments (and other entities) on transportation, housing, accessibility, emergency preparedness and response, wellness and nutrition, falls and injury prevention, improving services to persons with dementia, reducing fraud and abuse, and many other issues. To learn more, visit aging.ca.gov.