What is adult day health care in Virginia?
Adult day health care is a daytime program, usually on weekdays, that provides supervision, meals, activities and health monitoring for older adults who live at home, giving family caregivers time to work or rest; adult day centers in Virginia are licensed by VDSS's Division of Licensing Programs.
Programs differ: some focus on social activity, others offer nursing oversight, therapies and dementia-specific programming.
| Adult day health care | In-home respite | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | At a center | At home |
| Social contact | Built in | Limited |
| Cost (Virginia) | About $1,750/month, 5 days a week | Hourly agency rates |
How much does adult day care cost in Virginia and who pays?
CareScout's 2025 Virginia median is $20,995 a year for five days a week -- about $1,750 a month -- far below assisted living, and the CCC Plus Waiver covers adult day health care for Medicaid-eligible people who meet nursing facility level of care.
VA programs and some long-term care insurance policies also pay for adult day care; ask each center what it accepts.
What respite options exist for Richmond-area caregivers?
Respite can be a few hours of in-home care, a regular adult day schedule, or a short stay in an assisted living facility that offers respite rooms; Medicaid's CCC Plus Waiver allows up to 480 hours of respite a state fiscal year for enrolled members.
The Area Agencies on Aging -- The Span Center (804-343-3000) and Crater District (804-732-7020) -- can point you to caregiver programs and respite resources near you.
How do I choose an adult day program in the Richmond region?
Visit during program hours and look at what participants are actually doing, ask about staff-to-participant ratios, nursing coverage, medication help, transportation, dementia programming and hours, and confirm the center is licensed by VDSS on its adult day center search.
Ask how the center handles a participant who becomes unwell during the day, whether it serves lunch and snacks for special diets, and what the policy is for participants who need help in the bathroom. A trial day or two is common and tells you a lot.
Transportation often decides whether a program works. Ask whether the center runs its own vans for your part of the region and what the pickup window is, or whether GRTC CARE paratransit or family drop-off is needed.
Can adult day health care help someone with dementia in the Richmond area?
Yes. Many adult day programs serve people with mild to moderate dementia, offering structured activities, supervision and meals in a secure setting, which can delay a move to a special care unit while giving the family caregiver predictable breaks.
Ask whether the program has dementia-trained staff, how it prevents wandering, and how it handles a participant who becomes upset late in the day. Programs differ widely in how much cognitive impairment they can support, so be candid about current behaviors during the intake visit.
