The role of caregiving can be both rewarding and exhausting. To handle those exhausting times, it is important to incorporate some down time in your schedule to take care of yourself. A study from Penn State and Virginia Tech showed that adult day services (ADS), which can provide services to allow for down time, significantly lowered stress levels of the caregiving family members. Adult day services can give caregivers respite by providing a center where elderly parents can be taken for a couple of hours or the entire day and picked back up later. The day programs include social activities, meals and general elderly supervision. Older adults who cannot be home alone can go into a safe supervised setting that can administer medications, provide hot meals and fun activities, and give caregivers a break. In Lancaster County there are six facilities and all give tours to caregivers to determine whether ADS is a good fit. To find out more about the adult care centers, contact one of the six in Lancaster.