About Us

Program History

Adult Day Health Care (ADHC) is a program that was created in California in 1978 in response to a need to have an alternate solution to institutionalization. The program mirrors the skilled nursing staffing model, but it is based in the community and typically operates during the day on weekdays. It is akin to a senior center for those who can no longer attend a senior center independently and is especially beneficial for those who need additional support to do things like ambulate, eat, toilet, participate in activities, etc. Staff provides therapeutic activities disguised as fun throughout the day, making socializing and exercising meaningful and pleasurable. This makes folks want to come back each day!

When it began, the goal was to prevent costlier care and provide respite to caregivers. Over the decades, there has been a great deal of industry reform. The program now serves a very frail population, and eligibility is complex. Payers may, depending on contractual relationships and eligibility, include Medi-Cal, the Veterans Administration, Regional Centers, Long-Term Care Insurance, scholarships, and private pay.

Our oldest Adult Day Health Care program serving Central and South Contra Costa County is the Mt. Diablo Center (MDC). MDC was the 16th licensed ADHC in California in 1985. It is unique in that it provides nursing, physical, speech and occupational therapies, social work, transportation, and a healthy meal. Most importantly, the program provides a sense of community, all while giving caregivers and their families much needed respite. MDC also offers a licensed program known as our Alzheimer’s Day Care Resource Center for people who are in the mid-to-late stages of Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. Additionally, we provide special programs for monolingual Russian speakers and monolingual Farsi speakers to better meet their cultural sensitivities. Our facility is large and allows us to provide multiple therapeutic activity options for 60-70 people per day. We are also a teaching institute and take advantage of opportunities to provide internships for CNAs, nurses, and social workers.

We also provide ADHC at The Bedford Center, the only licensed adult day facility located in Antioch, which serves East Contra Costa County. Our second ADHC was named for Ray Bedford, a long time supporter and board member. The center began as a one day per week program at Concordia Lutheran Church founded by Pastor Roger Kuehn in 1980 to serve frail and isolated elders and to give their caregivers a break. The center moved to its current location at 1811 C Street in 1984 and expanded the program to 5 days a week to meet the demand for respite care. East County Day Care Center merged with Choice in Aging in 1995. The merger created the only adult day center in East County providing social work, nursing, physical, speech, and occupational therapies, transportation, as well as providing a nutritious lunch and snacks.

In 2017, we introduced Contra Costa County's premier intergenerational Montessori preschool, Choice in Learning Montessori. The integration of the preschool into our programs has enabled us to develop an intergenerational component called the Young at Heart program, which fosters openness, diversity, and respect for older adults as a core value of the children’s development.