Signs Your Aging Parent Could Benefit from Adult Day Care

There’s rarely a single moment when a family knows for certain that adult day care is needed. It’s usually a series of smaller things — a growing list of worries, a few too many close calls, a morning when you realize you’ve been running on empty for months. Here are the signs we most commonly see in the families who come to SarahCare, and what they typically mean. 

Signs Related to Your Loved One’s Safety 

• Wandering or getting disoriented in familiar settings — leaving the house and becoming confused about where they are or how to return 

• Falls, near-falls, or significant decline in balance and mobility 

• Missed medications or incorrect self-medication — taking wrong doses, forgetting entirely, or taking medications meant for someone else 

• Leaving the stove on, forgetting food cooking, or other household safety incidents 

• Getting lost driving, or confusion in situations that were previously routine 

Signs Related to Health and Functioning 

• Unintended weight loss — often a sign that meals are being skipped, forgotten, or poorly prepared 

• Worsening management of chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or COPD — missed appointments, erratic monitoring 

• Declining personal hygiene — not bathing regularly, wearing the same clothes for extended periods, difficulty managing grooming 

• Increasing frequency of emergency room visits or hospitalizations — a pattern that adult day care’s daily health monitoring can often interrupt 

Signs Related to Social and Emotional Well-Being 

• Withdrawal from activities and relationships that used to bring pleasure 

• Increased anxiety, agitation, or depression — particularly the late-afternoon restlessness associated with dementia sundowning 

• Spending long hours alone at home with limited stimulation 

• Loss of sense of purpose or routine 

Signs Related to the Family Caregiver 

These are often the signs that get overlooked — but they matter just as much: 

• You are missing work regularly to provide supervision or manage care crises 

• You are consistently sleeping poorly due to worry about your loved one’s safety 

• You find yourself irritable, resentful, or emotionally depleted in ways that feel unlike you 

• You have stopped doing things that matter to you because there isn’t time or energy 

• Your own health has been declining and you haven’t prioritized addressing it 

What We See in Practice 

The family caregiver signs are often the most honest indicator of when adult day care is needed. When a daughter tells me she hasn’t slept a full night in six months because she’s listening for her mother, or a son tells me he’s been called out of important work meetings multiple times a month for care-related emergencies — that’s the picture that tells me this family is at or past their sustainable limit. The goal is to get to SarahCare before the system breaks, not after. 

What to Do If You Recognize These Signs 

Start by scheduling a tour at SarahCare. You don’t need to have made any decisions — just come see the center, ask questions, and get a feel for whether it could be a good fit. We offer free tours and can walk you through funding options including Medicaid and VA benefits. 

For more on what adult day care actually provides, read: What Happens at Adult Day Care? A Walk Through a Typical Day at SarahCare. For information on how Medicaid covers the cost, see: How Medicaid Pays for Adult Day Care in Pennsylvania. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

 Ready to Learn More? 

Schedule a free tour of SarahCare Adult Day Center in Jenkintown. 

Call us: 215-999-1200 or contact us here.

Written by Shamere Dunswell  |  Community Relations Manager, SarahCare 

Shamere Dunswell is SarahCare’s Community Relations Manager and connects with families every day at the point of decision — helping them recognize when their loved one is ready for the structure and support of adult day care.