Scoping Review and Bibliometric Analyses on Trends and Design of Adult Daycare Centers

With the rapid aging of populations worldwide, the role of daycare centers in supporting older adults' well-being has gained unprecedented attention. Despite the growing body of research in this area, systematic reviews focusing on high-quality literature remain scarce. This study aims to address this gap by providing an in-depth analysis of the existing literature on adult daycare centers. This study bridges this gap by conducting a 33-year bibliometric analysis of 853 publications from the Web of Science database (1990-2023), using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Biblioshiny. Through the analysis of countries and authors, it was found that research in this field is predominantly concentrated in regions such as North America, Asia, and Europe. Keyword analysis revealed 3 main research themes in the field of adult daycare centers: "physical and mental diseases," "rehabilitative care," and "social support." There is a lack of comprehensive and systematic evaluation frameworks in the research on the architectural design and facilities of adult daycare centers. Meanwhile, the study highlights 3 key aspects for improving the design and facilities of adult daycare centers: (1) addressing the physical and psychological needs of the older adults, (2) enhancing rehabilitative care facilities, and (3) focusing on the needs of caregivers. This study not only maps research trends but also provides actionable directions for policymakers and practitioners to create more inclusive and effective older adult daycare support systems in response to the aging population.