You Or Your Family Members Are Unable To Care For Your Loved One
Sometimes, finances, time commitments, or the level of care an aging person needs can make it difficult to be a family caregiver. When the needs of your loved one become too great for you or another family member to take on, hiring a caregiver may be the right solution. However, depending on their needs, a long-term care facility may be the next step. Medical and health concerns such as diabetes, vision impairments, or being prone to falling may necessitate the need for more serious medical care. Its important to know the risks of falling. Once an older person falls, their chances of falling increase.
Memory Care Admissions Process
The memory care admissions process is the same as assisted living. There are, however, some differences in the assessment.
Possible reasons for exclusion from memory care are the following:
- Aggressive or sexually inappropriate behavior that would be a threat to other residents.
- Suicidal thoughts and actions.
- Complex medical needs.
Even if any of these exclusionary reasons exist, some memory care communities may accept a prospective resident and try and work with them. Memory care staff are accustomed to challenging residents and have the skills to manage some of these problems. If your loved one moves to memory care, the adjustment can take some time.
What Is Assisted Living
Assisted living is a great housing choice for seniors who are no longer capable of living alone, but want to maintain a social, active lifestyle. Considering these communities 93% satisfaction rate, its safe to say that assisted living isnt what your aging loved one is picturing when they say they dont want to move into a home.
Assisted living provides long-term housing and care for seniors. People in these communities are generally active, but may need support with activities of daily living , such as bathing, dressing, and using the toilet. Seniors in assisted living can expect personalized care, nutritious meals, a wide range of social activities to cater to a variety of interests, and a sense of community in a safe, residential setting.
As you consider housing options for your aging loved one, know that assisted living communities often have health standards for admitting new residents. For instance, your relative may have to be able to eat independently or transfer between a bed and a wheelchair without assistance.
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Difference Between The Levels Of Care Provided
Nursing homes are known for providing 24-hour assistance for elderly patients who may require immediate medical attention at any time. Residents often live with age-related ailments such as dementia or osteoporosis, which makes it especially difficult for them to function on their own.
Medical assistance is provided for people living in nursing homes. This often includes skilled nursing care, breathing assistance, toileting, full-time monitoring, and emergency services.
On the other hand, assisted living is often provided for older people who may not have a serious illness that affects their quality of life. However, they still need some level of care to help them remain as independent as possible. Or they may want to spend less time cooking and cleaning, and enjoy their life without doing these daily tasks.
Assisted living facilities are less focused on nursing and health care, and more on supporting residents to maintain a safe environment with a high degree of autonomy.
How Much Do Skilled Nursing Facilities Cost
Nursing home costs vary by location, state funding, and not-for-profit status. Skilled nursing facilities are generally more expensive than other senior living communities, since residents require more help with medical needs and personal care.
The cost difference between assisted living and nursing home care is significant. The median monthly cost of nursing homes in the U.S. is about $7,989 for a semi-private room and $9,086 for a private room, according to Genworth.
Unlike many assisted living communities, nursing homes can often be paid for using government assistance for lower-income residents.
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Which Health Care Facility Is Right For Me
Neither of these facilities, despite their similar identities and offerings in the marketplace, is an alternative to the other. Your needs and expectations determine the right facility for you. There are also a few other health care options available to you, like home care or in-home nursing, that could effectively meet your needs. To figure out which health care facility is right for you, talk to your doctor, consult with your family, and think about what you need.
Continuing Care Retirement Community Or Life Care Community
A master planned, age restricted development that offers a variety of living arrangements and levels of services. The object of a Continuing Care Retirement Community is to allow residents to age in place by providing independent living, congregate living, assisted living, and skilled nursing care at a single location. Residents may move from one level to another as their needs change. Some CCRCs are fully licensed, while others are only licensed as a RCFE to provide ambulatory and personal care. The skilled nursing component must be licensed by the State Department of Health to offer skilled nursing services.
When looking into this type of lifestyle, you must clarify the type of contract and care that is included in your agreement. There are very few Life Care communities due to the fact that these communities provide unlimited care for the rest of your life, even if you run out of funds. Continuing Care Retirement Communities offer a specified number of days per year of additional care only and may require the resident to relocate out of the community .
Other communities allow one to pay for services as needed. At a minimum, the contract guarantees access to nursing care services if you should ever need this type of care at a maximum, it covers the full cost of nursing care .
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What Charges Are Allowed In Addition To My Monthly Rate
Assisted living service providers may charge you an additional amount for hydro/heat services .
You may also be charged a one-time fee for a refundable damage deposit, based on half of the monthly rent for your assisted living unit. Health authorities must ensure that your damage deposit is refunded at the end of your tenancy, unless there is damage which is determined to be more than expected wear and tear.
How Much Does A Board And Care Home Cost
The cost of living in a board and care home depends largely on location. Cost is tied to local real estate value.
Prices vary generally, a board and care home could cost anywhere from $1,500 to $4,500 per month and in high real estate markets such as California, the monthly cost might be as high as $10,000.
Cost also depends on:
- Room privacy
- The type of services offered
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Assisted Living Vs Nursing Home Cna Roles
If we look at assisted living vs nursing home CNAs, the differences are mainly in the different levels of care and services offered. This brings us to the topic of state staffing requirements. When considering how to start an assisted living facility, it is essential to research and understand state mandates, such as staff requirements.
Some states require pre-employment checks, such as previous employment history, criminal background checks, and credit checks for aspiring owners and CNAs who will be working in the facility. Therefore, aspiring owners need to understand all the requirements on how to start an assisted living business before embarking on the business venture.
Below, we will highlight the differences between assisted living vs. nursing home CNA roles.
How To Decide Between Assisted Living And Memory Care
Assisted living may be a good fit for your loved one if memory loss is not an immediate concern. Its a great choice for seniors who are relatively independent and social but may require some help throughout the day.
If cognitive decline is a concern, however, ask yourself these questions to determine the best fit for your aging relative:
If you answered yes to any of these questions and are concerned about your loved ones safety, memory care might be the best option for your family member.
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How Do You Know If Its Time To Look Into An Assisted Living Center Or A Nursing Home
If you or a family member needs additional support with everyday tasks, like taking the right medication or just getting around, but still would like to keep independence and private living habits, an assisted living facility may be the right choice. These centers provide daily support while offering many social activities and a more private living space.
An assisted living center can also be a great option if a seniors needs can no longer be met by a family member who has been distributing care.
If, however, more attention to medical care is required, in addition to a place to live comfortably, a nursing home is the better option. Nursing homes are better for those who are no longer ambulatory or who have severe cognitive impairments.
In sum, nursing homes offer more intensive medical care, while assisted living facilities offer a more transitional approach to long-term care.
Skilled Nursing: Patient Admissions
As discussed in the video above, when it comes to which nursing home/rehabilitation center a patient is sent to after surgery, the decision is often out of the patients hands. The hospital may be contractually bound to send post-surgical patients to certain nursing homes.
If you do get a choice, be sure to do your homework. Convenient location is important, but youll want to visit each facility youre considering. Observe and evaluate until you find the facility that best matches the needs of your loved one. And, when at all possible, try to include your loved one in the decision-making process.
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What Is Assisted Living And How Is It Different From A Nursing Home
As the daughter or son of an aging parent, you might find yourself asking, What is assisted living?
Assisted living is a home-like care facility that provides personal and medical assistance for people while prioritizing their independence. Those in need of assistance receive services ranging from personal care services and skilled nursing to senior housing.
If your parent is requiring consistent help in their daily lives, it may be time to turn to long-termcare. To determine whether assisted living communities are right for your parent, lets explore how theyre similar and different from nursing homes, which are perhaps a more well-known form of senior care service.
Understanding Assisted Living Facilities
The major difference between assisted living facilities vs. nursing homes lies in the level of care that they offer. Assisted living means just that: Your parent is assisted with the activities of daily life.
Someone living in an assisted living community can, for the most part, still take care of themselves on a day-to-day basis. The staff is only there to help if the person needs it. The staff at an assisted living facility might help residents with activities of daily living including:
- Preparing and cooking meals
- Rehabilitative care
- Management of cognitive impairment conditions such as Alzheimers disease
If your mom or dad needs full-time attention from nursing professionals, a nursing home will ensure they have 24/7 care available, which is especially important if they have specific medical needs. However, its very important to understand that people cant just decide to sign up for a nursing home. Eligibility must first be determined.
Of course, transitioning to a nursing home is also a decision that your parent will need to make based on their particular circumstances and desires. While your parents are still mentally capable, this would also be a good time to have discussions about advance care planning if you havent already.
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Making The Right Choice
Now that weve covered the basic differences between long-term care homes vs. retirement homes vs. home care, its time to decide which is most suitable for your needs. This will largely depend on your medical needs, living preferences, and finances, which is summarized in the table below.
Once youve decided which type of living arrangement you need, you should also consider some additional factors before making your final decision. For example, does the home/provider have accreditations and awards? How many years have they served your community? Do they have positive reviews and ratings?
What Is An Arbitration Clause And Why Is It A Problem
Arbitration is a way of solving legal disputes between businesses without using the court system. In arbitration, the parties present their cases to a trained arbitrator, who makes a legally-binding decision on the dispute. The idea behind arbitration is that, since courts are slow and highly technical, a private alternative could be more efficient and cost-effective for sophisticated business people. So whats the problem?
For starters, private arbitrations were intended to streamline the litigation process between businesses, not healthcare providers and patients. Pre-dispute arbitration requirements in the medical arena can be inherently unfair, and not in the best interest of patients and their families.
Mandatory arbitration clauses mean you cannot exercise one of your constitutional rights to trial by jury, but must plead your case to a neutral arbitrator in a closed proceeding that you cant typically talk about later. On top of all that, arbitration awards generally cant be appealed.
Thats why you want to do your best to be on the lookout for a pre-dispute arbitration clause in the assisted living facility contract. Is agreeing to an arbitration clause a condition of admission to the facility? If so, thats a red flag to avoid that facility.
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Difference Between The Homes Themselves
What is assisted living vs. a nursing home? Because the level of care and supervision varies, assisted living homes and nursing homes look different.
Nursing homes have more of a hospital-like feel to them with hospital beds, medical equipment, and more thorough medical attention. Still, nursing homes often try to create a comforting environment for residents so that its not strictly clinical.
They often have living spaces, dining rooms, and communal areas that try to impart a relatively home-like environment where games, entertainment, and other community-based activities take place.
Assisted living homes are different in this sense. You might be hard-pressed to notice the difference between an apartment or condo complex and some assisted living facilities.
Many assisted living residences promote a home-like environment, with residents personalizing their living quarters with decor and their own furniture.
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
What does continuing care facility mean?
CCRCs offer a combination of independent living, assisted living and nursing home services. This means that residents at a CCRC can live with any level of care they need. They can live independently and take advantage of the services offered by the continuing care retirement community as they need them.
CCRCs offer a complete range of long term care on their campuses. Residents can receive help with all aspects of senior living at CCRCs.
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Congregate Housing/independent Living Community
Provides a residential environment with more shared common space and service supports than fully independent living facilities. While residents still live independently in their own apartments, congregate housing includes centralized dining services and such support services as transportation, social and recreational programs, and housekeeping.
These communities offer similar services as Assisted Living/Personal Care communities, but can be licensed by the State Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division as Residential Care Facility for the Elderly or non-licensed offering limited services.
Memory Care Admission Criteria
Memory care admission criteria are very similar to assisted living with the main difference being that memory care is for people with dementia or behavioral problems. People with dementia typically need more structure in their living environment.
Families consider memory care when their loved one is no longer safe to manage at home. Here are some reasons why families consider memory care for their loved one:
- Increasing confusion or disorientation
- Agitation and/or violent outbursts
- Inability to bathe, cook or eat without supervision and cueing
Memory care is also a good environment for people with head trauma, other neurological conditions, and mental health problems.
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Form A Legal Entity For Your Assisted Living Facility
Structuring the organization as a Limited Liability Company will protect the facility owner from being personally liable should the facility be sued. Some of the most common lawsuits facilities face relate to:
- Abuse
- Acquisitions and affiliations
- Bank transactions.
Therefore, it is worthwhile to either have in-house legal counsels or hire qualified agents who can advise and ensure both the facility and the owner are fully protected on privacy and compliance matters.
What Optional Services Can I Choose To Pay For In Addition To My Monthly Rate
Assisted living service providers may also offer you optional services. If you choose to receive any of these optional services, you may be required to pay an additional fee over and above your monthly rate. These optional services may include:
- cable connection and monthly fee
- personal telephone connection and basic services
- meals and suite rental for guests
- outings or special events
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