Using Standardized Tools to Characterize Adult Day Program Populations: Implications for Future Research and Clinical Practice

To demonstrate the usefulness of primary data collection using clinician-rated and self-rated standardized measures to describe adult day program (ADP) populations and address programming issues such as identifying members at risk of dropping out. One ADP in London, Ontario, and 2 ADPs in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A total of 223 community-dwelling older adults were recruited across the 3 different programs. The interRAI Community Health or Home Care Assessment and self-rated psychosocial assessments were collected on program enrollment. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, comparison of the populations between ADPs, and multinomial regression models to assess reasons for program withdrawal. Mean ages across the 3 programs ranged from 78.3 to 83.8 years and the proportion of women ranged from 49.3% to 56.6%. Compared with one of the ADPs, members from 2 other ADPs exhibited higher use of mobility aids (P