Frequently Asked Questions
Naperville Senior Center is an adult day health program for older adults living with memory loss, cognitive changes, or physical challenges. We are open weekdays, 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM, with a registered nurse on site every day.
If your question isn’t answered here, call us at (630) 857-3017. Sheela Jaiswal, our Executive Director, is glad to talk through your family’s situation.
About the Program
What is Naperville Senior Center?
We are an adult day health program — not a social club and not a residential facility. Your loved one comes to us during the day and goes home to their own bed at night.
The day is structured around health and engagement together. A registered nurse takes vitals each morning, manages medications, and tracks changes over time. Between those check-ins, members move, think, eat together, and spend time with people who know their names.
We have served families across Naperville and the western suburbs since 2014.
What makes you different from a senior center or social club?
Most senior centers are drop-in recreation. We provide nursing oversight, medication management, personal care assistance, and dementia-specific programming as part of every day.
That difference matters most for families where someone can no longer be safely alone during working hours. A social club can’t take vitals, manage a medication schedule, or assist with toileting. We can.
What clinical staff do you have on site?
Registered Nurses are on site during all operating hours. They monitor vital signs, administer medications, maintain an individualized care plan for every member, and communicate with families and physicians when something changes.
Certified Nursing Assistants provide hands-on support throughout the day with mobility, transfers, toileting, feeding, and personal care.
Licensed physical and occupational therapists provide services on site as independent consultants, so members can receive therapy without a separate appointment or a second trip across town.
All of our professional staff are certified in CPR and First Aid.
Who will care for my loved one?
Our team includes Registered Nurses, Certified Nursing Assistants, an Activity Lead, and volunteers. We maintain a staffing ratio of at least one staff member for every four participants.
Is your staff trained in dementia care?
Yes. Our care staff is trained in dementia care, gentle behavioral reassurance, and redirection techniques. Team members hold or are actively pursuing formal dementia care certification.
Our environment is designed to be dementia friendly: predictable routines, large-format materials, simple instructions, and programming built specifically for memory care rather than adapted from something else.
Who We Serve
Do you accept people with Alzheimer’s or dementia?
Yes. We accept members living with mild to moderate cognitive changes, including Alzheimer’s disease, other dementias, and Parkinson’s.
We are an adult day program, not a locked memory care unit, so there are limits to what we can safely support. Members must be able to transfer with the assistance of no more than one person and be able to feed themselves. If your loved one’s needs have progressed beyond that, we’ll tell you honestly and help you think through next steps.
Who is eligible to attend?
Adults who:
- Live with cognitive or physical challenges and need some assistance
- Cannot safely stay home alone during the day
- No longer drive and want company and activity
- Need supervision during working hours
- Can transfer with the assistance of no more than one person, and feed themselves
Can someone who uses a walker or wheelchair attend?
Yes. Our entrance, restrooms, dining area, and program spaces are wheelchair and walker accessible.
Do you have to live in Naperville?
No. We serve families across DuPage, Will, Kane, and Cook counties.
Members currently come to us from Aurora, Batavia, Bolingbrook, Burr Ridge, Carol Stream, Darien, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, Hinsdale, Joliet, Lisle, Lombard, Montgomery, Naperville, North Aurora, Oak Brook, Oswego, Plainfield, Romeoville, St. Charles, Warrenville, West Chicago, Westmont, Wheaton, Winfield, and Woodridge.
Cost
What does it cost to attend?
$155 for a full day — 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM, ten hours. That works out to $15.50 per hour.
In-home care commonly runs about $35 an hour in our area. Two days a week with us costs less than one day of in-home care.
The daily rate includes registered nurse oversight, CNA support, memory care programming, activities, and meals — breakfast, a hot midday meal, snacks, and beverages throughout the day.
A minimum of two days per week is required. Billing is monthly, in advance, on the first. Rates effective May 20, 2026.
Are there additional fees?
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| Shower and shampoo | $30 |
| Nail trim | $25 |
| Hygienist visit — Mondays, 11:40 AM | $25 |
| Haircut | $40, plus gratuity to the hairdresser |
| Late pick-up | $30 per 10-minute increment |
Does long-term care insurance cover this?
Often, yes. Leading long-term care insurance providers cover adult day health services, and several of our members use their policies.
Contact your carrier to confirm your benefits — we’re glad to help you find the right questions to ask. If you’re not sure whether a policy exists, it’s worth checking old paperwork; families are often surprised.
The Day Itself
What activities do you offer?
Group exercise and chair yoga, NuStep cross trainers and pedal bikes, walking, stretching. Cognitive games, trivia, cards, bingo, and puzzles scaled so every member can participate and finish something. Art, music, singing, pet therapy, and time on the patio when the weather allows.
The activity calendar changes monthly. In the late afternoon we shift deliberately toward softer music and calmer, smaller-group activities, because sundowning is real and we plan around it rather than react to it.
Do I have to commit to every day?
No. Two days a week is our minimum, and the days are flexible week to week.
That said, about half of our members choose to attend five days a week. Most families find that once a routine takes hold, more days work better than fewer — the rhythm itself is part of what helps.
My father naps often. Is that okay?
Yes. Rest is a normal part of the day. We have a quiet room with a couch and several reclining chairs, and members are welcome to use it. In practice, most people who want a short nap take it in whatever chair they’re already in.
Who helps my mother with personal care, such as toileting?
Our CNAs will cue and, when needed, assist with walking, transfers, clothing management, and hygiene in the bathroom — always with dignity and patience.
Please tell us about all of your loved one’s needs during intake, including use of garment protection, so we’re prepared from the first day.
Do you provide meals?
Yes. Breakfast, a hot midday meal, snacks, and beverages are served daily, all included in the daily rate. Our nutrition consultant reviews individual needs, and alternative options are available for dietary restrictions and personal preferences.
Is this just supervision?
No. Activities are goal-oriented — designed to encourage participation, maintain existing skills, and give people a reason to look forward to the next day. Every member is monitored to make sure they’re included and engaged, not just present.
Families most often tell us their loved one is more talkative at dinner on the days they’ve been with us.
Logistics
When are you open?
Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
We are closed in observance of the following holidays. Specific dates depend on the day of the week the holiday falls on:
- New Year’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Day after Thanksgiving
- Christmas Eve (closing early at 2:00 PM)
- Christmas Day
Is transportation available?
Yes, within a 20-mile radius, on a handicap-accessible bus with two wheelchair positions and six passenger seats.
| Days per week | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| 2 days | $299 |
| 3 days | $399 |
| 4 days | $499 |
| 5 days | $599 |
Transportation is billed separately from daily care.
Some members also use Ride DuPage or a private transporter such as Golden Circle of Friends.
Do you have an emergency policy?
Yes. Families sign an authorization allowing the center to call 911 in an emergency. Our written emergency procedures cover:
- Fire and evacuation
- Tornado and sheltering
- Severe weather
- Medical emergencies and 911 response
- AED, CPR, and first aid response
All professional staff are certified in CPR, and many have completed emergency first aid and AED training. Our facility is equipped with an AED registered with the Naperville Fire Department.
Come See for Yourself
The best way to know whether this is right for your family is to walk in and watch an ordinary Tuesday.
Tours are offered weekdays at 11:00 AM. That’s mid-morning on purpose — you’ll see the most active stretch of the day in progress, and you’re welcome to stay for lunch.
Call (630) 857-3017 to schedule, or request a tour online.