Top Picks

Although knowledge about adult day services isn't widespread, the industry has actually been around since the 1970s. Born of a need to provide seniors with health, social and support services, the industry is gaining momentum, fueled by longer life spans and an older population. In fact, the National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA) estimates there are about 4,000 adult day service centers operating in the United States.

"Adult day services are a solution to a lot of problems in the health-care arena," says NADSA director Mary Brugger Murphy. "It's a very logical and cost-effective way of delivering services."

Adult day service centers assist seniors with either minimal or extensive needs; some centers specialize, caring for those with Alzheimer's disease, for example. While many operate in hospitals or clinics, others are freestanding businesses. Typical adult day service centers provide nursing care, transportation, meals, social activities and assistance with daily living activities like eating and bathing.

Because adult day service centers are still one of the best-kept secrets around, educating the market about your business and recruiting new candidates can be a challenge, Murphy warns. Therefore, making contacts with local health-care agencies that can provide you with referrals is key to building a healthy business.

Contact Sources

Administaff Inc., (888) 245-2800, http://www.administaff.com

Assisted Living Federation of America, 10300 Eaton Pl., # 400, Fairfax, VA 22030, (703) 691-8100

Child Care Information Exchange, P.O. Box 3249, Redmond, WA 98073, (800) 221-2864

Children's Defense Fund, http://www.childrensdefense.org

Daily Soup, (212) 633-1800, http://www.dailysoup.com

Foozi, 11662 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood, CA 90049, (301) 996-2700

Forrester Research Inc., (617) 497-7090,

Freedom Energy Co. LLC, 2 Eagle Sq., Concord, NH 03301-4956, (603) 229-0029

Kamps Propane, 9811 E. Moffat Blvd., Manteca, CA 95336, (209) 823-8924

KirkWorks, (919) 220-8065, http://www. kirkworks.com

Manpower Inc., 5301 N. Ironwood Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53217, (414) 906-6253

National Association of PEOs, http://www. napeo.org/peo

National Adult Day Services Association, 409 Third St. S.W., 2nd Fl., Washington, DC 20024, http://www.ncoa.org/nadsa

National Association of Temporary and Staffing Services, (703) 549-6287, http://www.natss.org

National Mail Order Association, (612) 788-1673, http://www.nmoa.org

Rem Inc., 6921 York Ave. S., Edina, MN 55435, (612) 925-5067

Smoothieville Inc., P.O. Box 2835, Chapel Hill, NC 27515, http://www.smoothieville.com

Songline Studios Inc., (707) 829-6500, http://www.songline.com

Staffing Industry Report, http://www.sireport.com

World Wrapps Inc., 1000 Brannan St., #401, San Francisco, CA 94103, (415) 703-9600

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This article was originally published in the December 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Top Picks.