Adult day care: substitute or supplement?

In 1972 there were fewer than 10 nonpsychiatric adult day care centers in the United States; by late 1982 there were 1,000 or more. This development of programs as an alternative to nursing home and hospital care of impaired adults has been haphazard. Complications from surveys, field visits, and regulatory agencies reveal a lack of elements for systematic evaluation of the real costs and benefits. Future policies must also recognize that adult day care has become a new service without significantly diminishing institutional use.