National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA).

THE SPRAWLING CONVENTION CENter was bisected by hotel rooms, pools, and parking lots, making some of the meeting rooms hard to find. But attendees adapted well to the casual California atmosphere, maintaining a sense of humor. "Someone just asked me how tall the Eiffel Tower is," mused a woman staffing an outdoor information center, who stood under an "Ask Me" sign.

The biz: Although most sessions focused on aging issues or community-based services, one track focused on adult day services. But there was considerable cross-pollination between groups--and a lot of talk about the importance of collaborating with other types of chronic care providers, especially assisted living. It's no longer enough just to pay lip service to such partnerships, said National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA) chair Jan Nestler.

Another popular topic was how to accommodate the country's changing ethnic mix. Most health problems of minority elders, said Marta Sotomayor, president of the National Hispanic Council on Aging, are "chronic conditions that could be controlled with improvements in access to the health care system." That access will only improve, she went on, if we can "shift [people] from dependence to independence."

Finding ways to pay was, as always, a popular subject among the adult day providers. Managed care was often mentioned as a potential source of revenue. Bonnie Walson, executive director of Heritage Day Health Centers in Columbus, Ohio, recommended that centers get accredited, develop and use reliable outcomes measurements, know their costs, and hire a PR person to market their services to payors.

Another theme was the general lack of awareness of adult day services. "It's so frustrating--and it's our own fault," said Walson. "We haven't come together and gotten the word out about who we are and what we're doing."

The buzz: People were hopeful that HR 745, which would allow day care centers to become Medicare-certified as home health providers, will pass, creating a new source of funding--but nobody expects it to happen overnight.

The best: At the NADSA lunch, delegates sang a hearty round of "Day Care" to the tune of "Day-O," composed by NADSA's delegate council 10 years ago. Its refrain:

"Day care, day care,

People come 'cause they can't stay home,

Day care, day care,

We care for you even if you roam."

JUST THE FACTS

Who: National Council on the Aging

What: 49th Vital Aging Conference

Where: Town and Country Resort and Convention Center, San Diego 

When: April 17-21

Number of attendees (including exhibitors): 1,400

Number of exhibitors: 60