Ethical and practical challenges raised by an adult day program's caregiver satisfaction survey

A consumer satisfaction survey was completed by 21 caregivers to persons with dementia, who participated in Silver Club, a person-centered Adult Day Service program. Two themes emerged: caregivers expressed high program satisfaction based on joint benefits to members and caregivers, and they desired more information about the nature of the members' daily participation. These findings raised two important issues for program staff. First, Adult Day Service programs are often referred to and marketed as providing caregiver respite. This approach does not acknowledge caregivers' interest in programs that meet the needs of their loved ones, and may lead to reluctance to use programs that only stress the value of respite. Second, caregivers' desires for detailed feedback about members' program participation raise ethical and practical challenges within person-centered models of care. Collecting feedback from both participants and their caregivers can help monitor and improve services provided by person-centered Adult Day Service programs.