Adult Daycare Centers in the World

In developed countries, daycare services have started to replace institutional care services since 3 decades ago, and played a major role in community-based care. The present study aimed to compare the daycare centers around the world and explore these centers in Iran.  The study was conducted using library research method on daycare centers in 2015. These centers were selected from the USA, the UK, China, Japan, Bahrain and Iran, using purposeful sampling method. Then, they were compared with each other. The data collection tool was a researcher-designed checklist assessing the provided services before reviewing daycare centers and completed after the review. The researcher evaluated the online registered centers which provided daycare services to the elderly. Most of the elderly daycare centers in the USA are privately owned, while in countries like Bahrain and the UK, they are governmental centers. On the other hand, centers in the UK have integrated care systems that use charity and voluntary supports from NGOs as their financial resources. Financially, elderly care centers in Bahrain are completely dependent on the government. In Iran, the hybrid model is more frequently used with the private-public source of financing. Governmental organizations such as the Welfare Organization support these centers. One of the most important problems of these centers in Iran is their transportation system. Because of the rapid aging process in Iran and transformation from a joint family to nuclear family, Iranian elderly are exposed to loneliness, isolation, and social exclusion. In this regard, community-based programs, such as daycare centers, by focusing on families and supporting them, seem appropriate programs to help prevent social isolation and exclusion of elderly people.