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PERSPECTIVE article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1427425
This article is part of the Research Topic International Perspectives on Older Adult Social Isolation and Loneliness View all 24 articles

Adult Day Services: A Potential Antidote to Social Isolation and Loneliness in Marginalized Older Adults

Provisionally accepted
Tina Sadarangani Tina Sadarangani 1*Moroni Fernandez Cajavilca Moroni Fernandez Cajavilca 1Xiang Qi Xiang Qi 1William Zagorski William Zagorski 2
  • 1 College of Nursing, New York University, New York City, United States
  • 2 American Senior Care Centers Inc., Nashville, TN, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Loneliness and social isolation affect more than 1 in 4 community-dwelling older adults in the United States, who may also require long-term care support. Despite being seen as a solution to the long-term care crisis, most older adults prefer to age in place rather than using skilled nursing facilities. However, in-home care is unsustainable due to a shortage of direct care workers and may exacerbate social isolation by confining older adults to their homes. Adult Day Services (ADS) addresses both issues. ADS provides care to adults with physical, functional, and or cognitive limitations in non-residential, congregate, community-based settings. ADS also provides daily cognitive and physical stimulation, often with medical support, in a social and supported environment, centered around the needs and preferences of participants. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 5,000 ADS centers were widely available. However, with limited public support, the ADS industry has struggled as demand by the growing number of older adults and families need health and social support. The ADS industry must be recognized for its unique ability to buffer social isolation and loneliness in chronically ill older adults while serving as an effective platform for chronic disease management. This perspective piece highlights the critical role of ADS centers in reducing loneliness and social isolation and promoting healthy equity. We also explore the benefits of ADS, the financial, policy, and societal barriers to utilizing ADS, and the potential solutions to ensure its sustainability and growth.

    Keywords: Adult day services, Loneliness, Long-Term Care, Social Isolation, older adults

    Received: 03 May 2024; Accepted: 28 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Sadarangani, Fernandez Cajavilca, Qi and Zagorski. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Tina Sadarangani, College of Nursing, New York University, New York City, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.