As the country's elderly people who are 65 years or older recently exceeded 10% of the total population with development of medical technology and improvement of living standards, Korea has turned into an aging society. Especially in Gyeonggi-do, as of late December 2012, elderly people who were 65 years or older were 1,135,242 persons, taking up 18.98% of the region's population and registering the largest number of elderly people in the nation's cities or provinces. Due to such a sharp rise in elderly population, support for the elderly is increasing the burden on families and communities. The study aims to take as its subjects elderly people staying at authorized elderly welfare facilities, who are weak in mind and body and have difficulty in daily life with disabilities, or adult day care facilities that take care of elderly people during the day or at night, examine the concept of adult day care facilities and instances in foreign countries, and study the status of the adult day care facilities located in Gyeonggi-do, their services, and safety by figuring out space arrangement based on program implementation. Spacial arrangement in program operation should satisfy fuction and purpose from the manager and user's perspective, and a desirable program operation should provide separate spaces for the elderly with Alzheimer's and those without Alzheimer's. Compared to residential care facilities, adult day care facilities incur less financial burden and, compared to other authorized services, have many right functions that can upgrade the quality of users and satisfy their desires. Major countries like Japan, the UK, and Sweden recognize the right functions of day and night care services and aggressively support and utilize adult day care facilities. For adult day care facilities, quality services should be developed and use and choices should be enhanced as regards services. Development of special programs for the elderly with dementia and stroke, instead of simple protective functions of a program, must be actively promoted, while manpower training is required for program operation, conveniences, and safety. By developing and providing space arrangement models that focus on efficiency, convenience, and safety of program operation, adult day care operation can be revitalized, while quality of elderly care may be enhanced and welfare budget can be saved.

본 연구는 노인 주간보호프로그램에 참여하는 노인들의 경험을 이해하고 활동 참여의 과정을 설명하는 것 을 목적으로 하였다. 연구방법 : 본 연구는 노인 주간보호 참여자들의 경험과 그 과정에 대한 깊은 이해를 얻기 위해 질적 연구방법의 하나인 근거이론 접근법을 이용하였다. 참여자에 대한 심층면담, 참여관찰, 그리고 운영일지 등을 통해 자료를 수집하였고, 이를 지속적 비교법을 통해 분석하였다. 결과 : 지역사회에서 장애를 가진 노인들은 일상적인 활동의 결여와 대인관계의 고립으로 인하여 지속적인 건강 의 악화를 경험하였다. 노인 주간보호는 참여자에게 일상적 활동과 사회적 관계 형성의 기회를 제공하였고 이 러한 경험은 새롭게 일상을 재구성하는 과정으로 설명되었다. 결론 : 주간보호에서 활동참여를 통한 일상의 재구성은 일과와 대인관계의 변화와 관련되었다. 노인 주간보호는 활동참여의 기회를 제공한다는 점에서 건강과 활동참여의 연관성을 주목해온 작업치료사들이 보다 관심을 가 져야할 임상영역이다.