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Judy Wilson Griffin had never heard of adult day care before her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Now she counts on it.

“To me, it’s been a major plus,” Griffin said. “I’m committed to not putting my mom in a nursing home until I have to, and adult day care has made that possible.”

Griffin’s 82-year-old mother, Idell Wilson, spends weekdays at the American Red Cross Adult Care and Enrichment Center in Crestwood.

Since 1999, Wilson has benefited from the social interaction and activities offered at the center, Griffin said. The services have allowed Griffin, 48, to continue working full time as a nurse for BJC Healthcare with the peace of mind that her mother is in a safe and nurturing environment.

Griffin and Wilson are among the hundreds of St. Louisans discovering the value of adult day-care programs.

Unlike a nursing home, adult day services allow people with needs to continue living at home with loved ones while maintaining social interaction, physical exercise, mental stimulation and medical supervision during the day. Unlike in-home nursing care, it is often much more comprehensive and socially interactive.

And unlike both other options, adult day care is less expensive. Daily charges typically range from about $30 to $70 a day, depending on the center and the services provided. That’s about half the price of in-home care and a third the price of a nursing home, said Sylvia Nissenboim, director of the three local Red Cross adult care centers. The Red Cross centers are open from 6:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. each weekday. In some cases, Medicaid or long-term insurance can help cover the expense.

Missouri has 82 adult day-care programs licensed by the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). The city of St. Louis is home to 13 facilities, which are able to serve a total of 342 people, according to the agency. St. Louis County has another 20 with a combined capacity of 701, said Jeannie Bryant, a department spokeswoman.

When the state began licensing adult day care in 1983, there were 23 licensed programs statewide. By 1994, the number of programs had grown 25 percent to 30 across Missouri. The 82 programs licensed today represent a 173 percent change during the past decade, according to DHSS.

A recent study found a total of about 180 centers statewide are needed to keep up with aging baby boomers and their parents, said Nissenboim, who is also past president of the Missouri Adult Day Care Association.

The demand for adult day care appears to be growing as more people learn what such programs really offer.

“Many people think it’s like kindergarten for old people,” Nissenboim said. “They imagine a nursing-home day room with people in wheelchairs asleep. But when they try it, a month later they say, ‘My God, this is wonderful!’”

Several facilities now market their programs under different names to break the misconceptions.

“We plan to change the name from ‘day care’ to ‘adult day programs’ or ‘adult day club,’” said Tori Salladay, director of activities and adult day-care services at Bethesda Dilworth on Big Bend Boulevard in Oakland. “Adult day care has been around for a long time, but I don’t think a lot of people understand what services it offers.”

Several centers in the area offer nursing care, specialized activities based on each person’s interests and abilities, physical and occupational therapy, social outings, music programs, meals and snacks, social work support for family caregivers, and ancillary services such as podiatry, massage, audiology screening and hairdressing. Some offer home pick-up and drop-off. Most programs are offered on weekdays only.

Bethesda Dilworth plans to change its licensing and expand its program to include medication distribution and other nursing services by the end of the year, Salladay said. The center will likely grow capacity from 30 to about 50 clients a day at that time, she said.

“There is a demand for it, and we’ve had nothing but positive feedback,” said Julie Willman, adult day-program director at Garden View Care Center in Chesterfield, which is set to begin offering adult day programs at the end of May.

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