COVID-19 and the Need for Adult Day Services.
Joseph E Gaugler, Katherine Marx, Holly Dabelko-Schoeny and 4 others
PMID 34044009WHAT IT FOUND
Adult day programs that closed during COVID-19 reported staff cuts, caregiver distress, and participants moving to nursing homes or assisted living.
These are program reports, not evidence that reopening changes patient outcomes.
Key findings
01Of 30 adult day programs contacted, 22 responded; 21 had closed to clients and caregivers, and 15 furloughed all or some staff.
02Ohio program surveys reported that 65% of programs laid off or reduced staff pay after 4 months of closure, 83% of directors reported participants moved to nursing homes or assisted living, and ninety-one percent of directors reported increased caregiver stress and anxiety.
03Maryland surveys reported that a majority of adult day centers had to lay off staff (75%) and/or reduce staff hours (86%), and 50% indicated they would close immediately or in 1 month if funding ceased.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The data are self-reported program surveys, not patient charts or controlled outcomes. Only 22 of 30 contacted programs responded, and the article does not describe how responses were analyzed. Ohio and Maryland survey data are summarized without full methods or sampling details. The pandemic context includes many simultaneous changes, including closures, funding shifts, and other services, so the paper cannot separate the effect of adult day service closure from other causes. The paper is also a policy argument for adult day services, so its recommendations are not tested findings.
Declared interests
The supplied text notes NIH funding for the ongoing ADS Plus study (R01 AG049692). It does not include a conflicts-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the reported caregiver distress and moves to nursing homes as proof that adult day services improve patient outcomes. The paper is a program survey and policy commentary, and the prior randomized evaluations it summarizes generally found no reduction in nursing home admission, health care costs, or caregiver distress.