When adult day care services were established in the early 1970's, their mission was to serve older adults with dementia who require programming and supervision. As services became more available and better known, older adults who had experienced strokes or other debilitating illnesses soon found that adult day care services could benefit them by providing a structured and supportive environment for continued recovery. Now, another group of individuals is finding benefits within adult day care services: younger adults with physical and/or cognitive disabilities.

When it opened in August 1995, the Masonic Homes' Adult Daily Living Center recognized the need for day services for adults under the age of 60 who had experienced brain injuries or other neurological conditions (i.e., multiple sclerosis). In a traditional rehabilitation setting, a young adult who experienced a brain injury would work through treatment sessions with the eventual goal to live at home and return to work.

However, sometimes a person's injury is so great that vocational placement is not always possible. The caregiver, usually a parent or a spouse who must continue to work, is faced with the decision of placement in a nursing home or expensive in-home care. Adult day care becomes a viable option as it provides cost-effective daytime care that allows the person to continue living at home. The therapeutic environment of the adult day care setting readily supports rehabilitative goals and can assist in a person's recovery.

Fourteen adults under the age of 60 have been served by the Adult Daily Living Center since it opened. Of this group, more than half had either a traumatic brain injury or a neurological disorder. The Adult Daily Living Center, working closely with the referring rehabilitation hospital or case manager, assists the participant in working towards his or her recovery goals. Examples of these recovery goals include improving walking or wheelchair skills, transfer training, support in regaining self-care skills, participation in community reintegration outings, improvement of speech and language skills, leisure education, and behavior management. With many of these participants, staff members have been able to document progression toward meeting their goals. One participant who experienced a traumatic brain injury is now looking forward to vocational placement after attending the center for one and one-half years.

As the need for adult day care services for adults under 60 grows, the Adult Daily Living Center will continue to reach out to these individuals and their loved ones to provide a caring and supportive environment in which they can continue to recover.

The center currently has 30 participants, eight of whom are under 60. The ages of the participants range from 26 to 90.