Penn Village Adult Day Care is a licensed adult day center in Germantown, Philadelphia. Adults come to us on weekdays for structured activity, hot meals, licensed nursing oversight and the company of other people, then go home to their own beds at night. It is not a nursing home and not assisted living — it is the support that lets a person keep living at home, and lets the family caring for them keep going.
Our Parkinson’s day program is built specifically around what this disease takes: movement, medication timing, the ability to eat comfortably, and social contact. We serve families across Philadelphia and bring participants in by door-to-door transportation.
Call 267-437-2898 to talk it through, or schedule a tour and see the center for yourself.
Who Our Parkinson’s Program Is For
Most of the families who reach us are somewhere in the middle of this illness — past the point where a diagnosis was just a word, and not yet at the point where round-the-clock nursing is needed. Our program tends to be the right fit when:
- Sitting still all day has started to cost mobility, and there is nothing in the day that gets them moving.
- Medication timing has become the thing the whole household revolves around.
- Falls or freezing have started, and being alone in the house no longer feels safe.
- Meals have become slow or difficult, and someone should be watching.
- The world has narrowed — fewer outings, fewer visitors, less conversation.
- The spouse or adult child providing care is exhausted, not sleeping, or unable to work.
If you are weighing this against bringing an aide into the house, our comparison of a Parkinson’s day program versus in-home care lays out what each one is genuinely good at. Many families end up using both.
A Day Built Around What Parkinson’s Takes
Parkinson’s does not only affect movement. It slows speech, flattens facial expression, drains initiative, disturbs sleep, and pulls people out of social life — often long before mobility becomes the headline problem. A day spent seated alone at home accelerates every one of those. Our program day pushes in the opposite direction.
Mornings are when energy and medication effect are usually at their best, so that is where we put movement — walking, seated exercise, stretching, balance work and big-movement activity, adapted to whatever each person can manage that day.
Midday is an unhurried meal eaten at a table with other people, with staff watching for the swallowing changes that matter in Parkinson’s and modified textures where they are needed.
Afternoons bring cognitive and social activity — conversation, music, games, creative work — all of which keep voice, expression and thinking in daily use, followed by a calm wind-down before the ride home.
Throughout, a licensed nurse is on-site, so medications land in their proper windows rather than on a fixed round.
What the Program Includes
- ✅ Medication timing that follows your schedule — licensed nursing oversight, not a fixed round.
- ✅ Daily adapted movement — walking, seated exercise, stretching, balance and big-movement activity.
- ✅ Unhurried, modified meals — time and supervision that matter when swallowing has slowed.
- ✅ A freeze-aware environment — wide, uncluttered, fully ADA-accessible paths and staff trained in cueing.
- ✅ Voice and expression kept in daily use — conversation, music and group activity.
- ✅ Cognitive engagement, with cognitive support where Parkinson’s has affected thinking.
- ✅ Mood support — depression and apathy are part of Parkinson’s, and part of what we watch for.
- ✅ Wheelchair-accessible door-to-door transportation across Philadelphia.
- ✅ Real respite for the family — reliable weekday hours genuinely off duty.
Falls, Freezing and Safety
Freezing of gait — feet that suddenly will not go, usually in a doorway or on a turn — is the point where many home arrangements stop being sustainable. The family instinct is to reduce movement, and that is exactly the wrong direction, because less movement means faster decline.
Our staff are trained to help someone through a freeze using verbal and visual cueing rather than grabbing, and the floor itself is laid out to reduce the triggers: one level, no steps, wide and uncluttered walking routes, accessible bathrooms, and grab support where it is needed. Wheelchairs, walkers and rollators are all accommodated, and our vehicles are wheelchair accessible.
If falls have already started at home, our guide on what to do after a parent falls is a practical place to start.
Areas We Serve
Our center is at 200-220 W. Chelten Avenue in Germantown, and our door-to-door transportation reaches neighborhoods roughly forty minutes out. Families currently travel to us from across Northwest, North and West Philadelphia and just over the county line.
Germantown · Mount Airy · Chestnut Hill · Roxborough & Manayunk · Logan & Olney · West Philadelphia · North Philadelphia · Cheltenham & Elkins Park · Darby
Not on the list? See all locations we serve or call and ask — we would rather check than have you assume.
Cost, Coverage and Funding
Adult day programs are priced per day rather than per hour, and the daily rate typically covers the full program day, meals, activities and nursing oversight — which makes the monthly cost easy to plan around and far lower than residential care.
Many families qualify for help. Medicare does not cover ongoing adult day care, but Pennsylvania Medicaid waiver programs frequently do. Start with Medicaid and waiver program assistance, our guide to PA waivers that cover adult day programs, or adult day care eligibility. Veterans and surviving spouses should start with our VA-supported programs.
For general figures, see how much senior day care costs and our comparison of adult day care against assisted living and nursing homes.
How to Get Started
- Call us on 267-437-2898. Describe an ordinary day — how mornings go, how the medication schedule runs, where the falls happen. We will tell you plainly whether our program suits, and point you elsewhere if it does not.
- Tour the center. Come mid-morning, when the day is in full swing and you can see what actually happens rather than an empty room.
- We sort out funding and transportation. We will help you identify which coverage routes apply and confirm that our vans reach your street.
- Start with a few days a week. Two to four weeks is the normal settling-in period, and it is easy to add or drop days afterwards.
Parkinson’s Day Program: Common Questions
What is a Parkinson’s adult day program?
A structured weekday program a person attends during the day and leaves at the end of the afternoon, going home to their own bed at night. It provides adapted movement, medication management under licensed nursing oversight, meals, cognitive and social activity, and supervision — while giving the family caregiver reliable hours off. It is not residential care and not a nursing home.
Can you give Parkinson’s medication on our own schedule?
Yes. Parkinson’s medication windows are tight and a late dose can cost the whole afternoon, so we follow each participant’s prescribed schedule rather than a fixed medication round. A licensed nurse is on-site throughout the program day.
Can someone with freezing of gait or a history of falls attend?
Yes. Our floor is fully ADA-accessible with wide, uncluttered paths, and staff are trained to help someone through a freeze using verbal and visual cueing rather than pulling or grabbing, which usually makes a freeze worse. Wheelchairs, walkers and rollators are all accommodated, and our vehicles are wheelchair accessible.
How many days a week should someone with Parkinson’s attend?
Three days a week is a common starting point, and many families move to four or five once they see the effect on movement and sleep. Parkinson’s rewards consistent daily activity and punishes long stretches of sitting, so a regular rhythm generally does more good than occasional attendance. The right number depends on stamina, the caregiver’s schedule, and what any funding authorizes.
Is transportation available?
Yes. We provide door-to-door transportation across Philadelphia neighborhoods roughly forty minutes from our Germantown center, including Mount Airy, Chestnut Hill, Roxborough, Manayunk, West Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, Olney, Cheltenham and Darby. Vehicles are wheelchair accessible and drivers allow the time boarding takes.
How much does it cost, and does insurance cover it?
Adult day programs are priced per day rather than per hour, and the daily rate typically covers the full program day, meals, activities and nursing oversight. Medicare does not pay for ongoing adult day care, but Pennsylvania Medicaid waiver programs frequently do, and veterans and surviving spouses have several VA routes available. Call 267-437-2898 and we will tell you which routes are worth pursuing in your situation.
Tour Our Germantown Center
See the space, meet the nursing team, and ask how we handle medication timing and freezing. We welcome families from neighborhoods up to 40 minutes away, and we arrange transportation from the first day.