Adult Day Care for Lancaster, Texas, Just West on Belt Line

Search for adult day care in Lancaster and you will mostly find Lancaster, Pennsylvania, or Lancaster, California. This page is about Lancaster, Texas: the Historic Town Square, the old Interurban Building, Pleasant Run Road and Veterans Memorial Parkway. For Lancaster families caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, our DeSoto center is the nearest dementia day program we run. It is 8.3 miles from City Hall, about 16 minutes west on Belt Line Road.

  • Built for memory loss
  • Nurse on duty daily
  • One staff member for every five members
  • Meals from our own kitchen
  • VA North Texas contracted
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Is Eight Miles Worth It?

That is the real question for a Lancaster family, so we will answer it directly. It is worth it if your parent:  

  • has memory loss that makes a day alone unsafe,
  • needs medications or health checks during the day,
  • still walks on their own or with a walker or cane, and
  • would do better with company and structure than with television and an empty house.

It is probably not worth it if your parent is fully independent and mainly wants social time. In that case, Lancaster’s own Senior Life Center is closer and costs far less. If you are somewhere in between, a tour will tell you more than this page can.

The Drive From Lancaster

From Lancaster City Hall on North Henry Street, OpenStreetMap routing heads out West Main Street and then west on Belt Line Road, which runs straight into DeSoto and past our center. The trip is 8.3 miles and about 16 minutes in light traffic. Belt Line connects Lancaster, DeSoto and Cedar Hill, so most Lancaster families never touch a freeway.  

Our DeSoto center is open weekdays, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  

Schedule a Tour  and drive Belt Line at drop-off time.

STAR Transit and Lancaster

We do not provide transportation. Lancaster is not a DART member city. Its transit provider is STAR Transit, and the city’s STAR Transit page lists weekday service from 5:00 AM to 8:00 PM under a zone labeled “DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster, Wilmer,” with fares of $1 for qualified riders 60 and older, veterans and riders with disabilities. Every STAR vehicle has a lift or ramp.  

That shared label suggests a Lancaster rider may be able to reach DeSoto on STARNow, but we have not confirmed it. Call STAR at 877-631-5278 before you plan around it, and ask how pickup works for a rider with memory loss.

For Lancaster's Veterans

Lancaster honors its veterans in its street names and its library. If your parent served, check VA coverage before you pay privately. Our DeSoto center is contracted with the VA North Texas Health Care System through the VA’s Community Adult Day Health Care program. For an eligible veteran referred by a VA physician, the VA pays the daily fee directly to us, and a small copay applies in some cases.  

The process starts with the veteran’s VA physician or social worker. Our veterans page explains the steps, and our guide to VA adult day health care around Dallas goes into detail on eligibility and referral.

Health Care Through the Day

A licensed nurse is on duty at our DeSoto center every day we are open. The nurse gives or reminds about medications, checks blood pressure, tests glucose, assists with oxygen, carries out ordered treatments and tracks weight. Staff help with toileting reminders, incontinence care, transfers and walking. If a member feels unwell, they rest in the nurse’s office or the center’s bedroom with staff until family or paramedics arrive. The complete list is on our health care and wellness page.

Contact Us Schedule a Tour

A Weekday at the DeSoto Center

Breakfast and a morning snack. Exercise, twice. Music, a daily sing-along, trivia and word games. A hot lunch from our kitchen, cooked from dietitian-reviewed menus. Afternoon crafts, a book club, therapy dogs and visiting performers. Recent months have included a watermelon party and a movie day with snow cones. Recliners and a bedroom are there for anyone who needs to rest. 

What You Will Pay

Our DeSoto rate sheet starts at $75 for a reserved half day (five hours or less) and $95 for a reserved full day. Members who need more hands-on help with walking, toileting or disease-related behaviors pay a higher daily rate after an assessment. Enrollment is a one-time $65. See the DeSoto days, hours and costs page for current rates.  

Almost all long-term care insurance policies cover adult day services. Lancaster is entirely in Dallas County, so caregivers can also call the Dallas Area Agency on Aging at 214-871-5065, whose caregiver support includes respite for unpaid caregivers of someone of any age with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia.

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Lancaster Resources

Lancaster Senior Life Center, 240 Veterans Memorial Parkway, is open weekdays 9 AM to 5 PM for adults 50 and older, with a noon meal, choir, cards and dominoes, a fitness room, line dancing and a van for members. Membership is $3 a year for residents.

Lancaster Veterans Memorial Library, 1600 Veterans Memorial Parkway, shares borrowing privileges with the Cedar Hill, DeSoto and Duncanville libraries.

The Historic Town Square and the Interurban Building. The 1911 building now houses the city’s Visitors Center and once served the Texas Interurban Railway, which ran from Waxahachie through Red Oak and Lancaster to Dallas until the 1950s. For a parent with long memories, it is a good place to visit and talk about the old days.

Help with the basics. Lancaster’s community resources list includes the St. Vincent de Paul Outreach Center on Randlett Street, which runs a free prescription medication program, and the Jan Pruitt Community Pantry on Alexander Avenue.

Our caregiver support group meets at the DeSoto center on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 2:00 PM, sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association and open to anyone.

Contact Us Schedule a Tour

Who We Serve

Adults 50 and older with memory loss, or who fit well with members who have it. A diagnosis is not required. Members must walk on their own or with a walker, cane or staff help; we cannot accommodate wheelchairs. Days are booked by reservation so we can hold our 1:5 ratio.

Nearby Areas We Serve

Our Dallas adult day care page compares both of our centers for neighborhoods north of you. South on I-35E, Red Oak families have a page about Ellis County resources. Northwest, the Red Oak families covers the US-67 route.

1960 Nantucket Dr, Richardson, TX 75080
(972) 437-2940  |  Get Directions
1232 W. Belt Line Rd, DeSoto, TX 75115
(972) 274-2484  |  Get Directions
4682 McDermott Rd, Plano, TX 75024
(972) 437-2940  |  Get Directions

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this page about Lancaster, Texas?

Yes. We serve Lancaster, Texas, in southern Dallas County, from our DeSoto center about 16 minutes away.

Can STAR Transit take my father from Lancaster to DeSoto?

Possibly. Lancaster’s STAR page lists a shared zone with DeSoto, but we have not confirmed that a regular trip to our center works. Call STAR at 877-631-5278.

Will the VA pay for adult day care?

For eligible veterans referred by a VA physician, the VA usually covers the daily fee at our center, with a small copay in some cases.

What does it cost if we pay privately?

From $75 for a reserved half day and $95 for a reserved full day, plus a $65 enrollment fee.

What are your hours?

Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Do you take wheelchairs?

No. Members must walk on their own or with a walker, cane or staff help.

Visit Us in DeSoto

Take Belt Line west on a weekday morning and see the program running.