The One Percent Solution: A Basis for Adult Day Program Development?

Adult Day Programs have experienced tremendous growth in the last few decades. Accompanying this growth one would anticipate an expanded body of knowledge to assist program managers and policy makers in designing and improving adult day programs service delivery. This article examines the amount and type of adult day programs research conducted between 1980 and 1993 in 16 well established journals in social gerontology. The examination reveals that research on adult day programs comprises less than one percent of all journal articles. Articles covering adult day support are eight times more likely than those addressing day hospital topics. Articles in practitioner oriented journals are the most prevalent. The most frequently occurring topic in the literature is client characteristics followed by special programming, respite care/caregiver support, program activities and comparative studies.