Need For Assisted Living Facilities

Ask About Staffing Patterns

To feel confident that you or your loved one will be well taken care of, its important to ask questions about the staffing levels and workload at an assisted living facility. For example:

• How many staff members are actually involved in residents care?
• How many people are working at any one time?
• What are their duties during those timesdo they have time to interact with residents?
• Are there registered nurses on site?
• How do staffing patterns differ at night?
• What happens when a staff member is sick or otherwise unable to be at workis there enough cover?

Choosing an assisted living facility

Visit a facility at different timesduring activities and meal times, for exampleand seek feedback from residents and their families or via online reviews.

What to look for in the staff:

• Do they have time to speak with you or does it feel rushed?
• Do they appear genuinely friendly and interested in you?
• Do they interact warmly with current residents? Or do they seem stressed or overwhelmed?
• How do they handle emergencies?

What to look for in the residents:

• Do they appear happy?
• Do they enjoy interacting with one another?
• Do they seem like people youd enjoy getting to know?
• Are there hobbies or groups on site that look interesting to you?

What to look for in the facility:

How Do I Move My Loved One To Assisted Living

Moving a parent to assisted living can be an emotional experience. You may feel guilty or nervous about the move, and wonder whether your senior loved one will adapt. Your family may not agree with your decision or you may be struggling with how to talk with your parent about moving to an assisted living facility. Downsizing and packing may also be stressful, overwhelming, and time-consuming.

Taking a step-by-step approach can ease anxiety and make the move smoother for your family and your aging loved one.

What Is The Next Level Of Care After Assisted Living

Usually, the next level of care after assisted living is a nursing home. Youâll make the decision to move from assisted living to a nursing home when youâre no longer able to live independently and need a greater level of assistance and medical supervision.

Alternatively, some families choose in-home care so their loved one can spend their final days resting comfortably at home. In these cases, you can hire a private healthcare provider to help with bathing, eating, dressing, administering medicines while also keeping a watch on vital statistics and overall medical condition. The national median cost of home health aide services in 2020 was $54,912.

Recommended Reading: Brookdale Park Place Assisted Living

Comparison Between Assisted Living And Personal Care

In Pennsylvania, personal care and assisted living are terms that are defined separately.

Personal care and assisted living in PA are regulated by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Human Services Licensing . Up until January 2011, the terms âassisted livingâ and âpersonal careâ were considered interchangeable. At that time, Pennsylvania began licensing assisted living facilities separately from personal care facilities.

Chapter 2800 of the 55 Pennsylvania Code defines assisted living as âa significant long-term care alternative to allow individuals to age in place,â where residents âwill receive the assistance they need to age in place and develop and maintain maximum independence, exercise decision-making and personal choice.â

Likewise, Chapter 2600 of the 55 Pa. Code defines personal care as âA premise in which food, shelter and personal assistance or supervision are provided for a period exceeding 24 hours, for four or more adults who are not relatives of the operator, who do not require the services in or of a licensed long-term care facility, but who do require assistance or supervision in activities of daily living or instrumental activities of daily living.â

The differences between the two levels of care is broken down into three categories:

Construction â Assisted living residences must provide residents a private room with a lockable door, a private bathroom and small kitchen. Personal care homes are not required to offer these amenities.

What To Consider About Assisted Living In Johnson City

Johnson City, Tennessee is home to the Tweetsie Trail, several museums and art galleries and more than 9,000 seniors. Adventurous seniors might even appreciate Johnson City’s outdoor recreational options like Warriors’ Path State Park, Boone Lake and Buffalo Mountain Park. To support those seniors who may need assistance with the aspects of everyday living, there are five assisted living facilities within city limits, with another two located in nearby neighborhoods.

In Johnson City and in all of Tennessee, the Tennessee Department of Health, Board for Licensing Health Care Facilities governs both Assisted Care Living Facilities and residential homes for the aged.

Don’t Miss: Assisted Living Short Pump Va

Ten Things To Look For In A Typical Assisted Living Facility

There are many factors to consider before moving into an assisted facility center. We have listed ten essential elements you need to consider before selecting the right facility. They are as follows:

• Proper Service License
• Staff training and hiring process
• Social Atmosphere
• Medication and Health Care Facilities
• Hours of Service

When Can Seniors Go Into Assisted Living Facilities

A lot of seniors have the same question: “When is it time for assisted living?” The answer isn’t always straightforward. That’s because it depends more on your care requirements than on your age. Even so, the 2014 CDC report noted that the age of residents in assisted living facilities broke down as follows:

• 65 to 74 years old: 10.4 percent
• 75 to 84 years old: 29.9 percent
• 85 and older: 52.6 percent

Prior to entering an assisted living facility, most seniors have a caregiver, or multiple caregivers, helping them out in their homes. Those caregivers can include home health aides, spouses, family members, or friends. So discussions about moving into an ALF may need to begin when the home care of you or your loved one becomes too demanding. The need may also arise if you or your loved one’s safety or well-being is clearly at risk when alone.

When deciding whether it’s time for you or a family member to move into an ALF, here are some points to consider:

When the staff at an ALF go through the criteria for assisted living at their facility, they will often refer to many of the points mentioned above. Additionally, a final important consideration is whether you or your loved one has dementia or Alzheimer’s. As seniors with dementia age, they often start wandering, become increasingly confused, and display more agitated or aggressive behavior. Changes such as those often highlight the need to move into an ALF or nursing home.

Recommended Reading: Encore Assisted Living Champlin Mn

Common Paperwork & Tests Required During Admission

Seniors may choose to enter into an assisted living facility directly from their own private home or from the home of a loved one. Some seniors are referred to an assisted living facility when they are discharged from a hospital, rehabilitation center, or move to assisted living from a short-term nursing care facility. No matter how a senior arrives at an assisted living community, the admission process remains the same for everyone. Though some requirements may vary slightly at each location and in each state, we will list some of the most common requirements.

Memory Care And Assisted Living

Not all assisted living facilities provide memory care, but Providence Place offers programs for early or mid-to-late stage dementia and Alzheimers. Because of our unique services model, you can add early-stage or late-stage memory care at any time. While we strive to let you age-in-place, residents with late-stage dementia may eventually need to move to our Connections Neighborhood. This is a secure yet homelike neighborhood in our communities that keeps our residents safe from the risk of wandering.

You May Like: Morning View Assisted Living South Bend In

What Are The Qualifications For Assisted Living Admissions

Admission eligibility for assisted living is based on the individual care requirements of the potential resident. Generally, assisted living is considered appropriate for individuals who need:

• Minimal skilled nursing services

• Daily assistance with everyday tasks eating, bathing, etc.

• Medication management

Assisted living is not ideal for people who need:

• Continuous supervision

Lets look at some of these in a bit more detail.

Why Is Moving To Assisted Living Better For Senior Health

These are all telltale signs that its time to consider moving. However, you do not have to wait for these signs to make the move. Finding the right community is time-intensive and you need to be prepared to make the move when the time comes. These 8 benefits to assisted living can help you and your loved ones look forward to your next chapter. Get ready its going to be a good one.

You May Like: St Augustine Assisted Living Cleveland Ohio

Making The Decision To Leave Home: What You May Be Feeling

No matter your situation, moving is always stressful. But when youre contemplating leaving your home for an assisted living facility, stress is just the tip of the emotional iceberg. You may associate grief with the death of a loved one, but grief is a natural response to any loss. And the loss of your home, neighborhood, and community is a big one.

The thought of leaving everything you know can make you feel very vulnerable. You may feel like youre losing your independence or a big part of your identity. Its important to realize that all of these feelings are normal. Take some time to acknowledge these feelings of loss. Sometimes talking to someone who is sympathetic can help. Counseling and therapy can be an option too. Give yourself time to grieve and get used to the change.

Need to talk to someone?

Get professional help from BetterHelps network of licensed therapists.

Need urgent help? .

Daily Assistance Is Necessary

In many states, in order to qualify to live in an assisted living facility, you, or your loved one, must need assistance performing at least two of whats known as activities of daily living.

Activities of daily living include things like:

• Bathing

• Transferring from sitting to standing, lying to sitting, etc.

• Continence care

• Ambulation

• Etc.

How can you tell if you, or your loved one, needs assistance with daily living activities and when it would be a cause for concern? Lets look at several examples:

John is an 81-year-old man who lives alone. Although he still considers himself relatively independent, his daughter, Janet, notices that he struggles to get around the house, and shes scared he may fall when trying to get up and down from his recliner.

John is also becoming forgetful. Hes left the oven on numerous times and hasnt been remembering to take his daily medicines.

When Janet calls to set up a consultation, she is informed that he likely meets the assisted living requirements from the information shes provided about John.

Also Check: Assisted Living Facilities In Manatee County

What Are The Assisted Living Eligibility Criteria

In addition to the general eligibility criteria for home and community care services, to be eligible for assisted living services, you must:

• require both hospitality services and personal care services
• be able to make decisions on your own behalf that will allow you to function safely in an assisted living residence, or have a spouse who is going to live with you and is willing and able to make decisions on your behalf
• be at significant risk in remaining in your current living environment and
• have agreed to pay the assessed client rate and any additional optional charges for services, programs or supplies that are not included as a benefit but are offered by the service provider.

To read the general eligibility criteria for all home and community care services, go to:

• Are You Eligible?

Talking To A Loved One About Assisted Living

You may be dreading talking to your aging loved one about moving to assisted living. Elder care is often a difficult but important topic that families ultimately cant avoid.

Having conversations regularly about senior care before an emergency situation arises is often best. Planning ahead will give you and your family time to think about options and discuss what you need to do to prepare.

However, if your aging parent needs immediate help, its time to hold a family meeting. Consider your family dynamics to decide who to include. If your senior loved one is in good mental health, it may be a good idea to involve them.

Set aside dedicated time, without distractions, to discuss their needs and potential solutions. Its also important to be open to having a series of conversations before your family agrees on the right senior care choice.

You May Like: Assisted Living Near Elgin Il

What’s The Difference With Levels Of Care In Assisted Living

Senior living is a broad industry, giving care and options for older adults who live with different challenges and preferences. Todays seniors are fortunate to have such a variety of solutions to suit their needs, but so many choices can quickly lead to feelings of confusion. For example, if you have done your due diligence to narrow down your senior living choice to assisted living, you may be surprised to find out there are multiple levels of care within your assisted living community. Each of these levels of care features a different cost, as well as a different amount of hands-on care.

Thankfully, you dont have to feel overwhelmed when you have a broad idea of assisted living levels of care. In fact, knowing about the varying levels can not only give you excellent questions to ask now, but you will also know what supports are available to you or your loved one as the years pass. Although levels of care can be unique to each assisted living community, these three categories will give you perspective into what to expect and a framework for tailoring your questions during your next meeting or tour.

Types Of Assisted Living Facilities And Which Is The Most Profitable

1. The Typical Resident Assisted Living Facility

A typical resident-assisted living facility caters to older adults who do not need the level of care offered by a nursing home but prefer more companionship while needing some assistance in day-to-day living. Age groups will vary with every facility. There is currently a transformation occurring in long-term care.

Assisted living communities are accepting higher and higher levels of care and nursing homes are becoming a place for those who are undergoing rehabilitation after a hospital stay or who need extensive assistance. Many assisted living communities now accept individuals who need assistance with all activities of daily living.

The Overview of Assisted Living Report from 2010 stated that 54 percent of assisted living residents are 85 years or older 27 percent are 7584 years old 9 percent of residents are between 65 and 74 years and 11 percent are younger than 65 years. 74 percent of assisted living residents are female 26 percent are male.

Recommended Reading: Bethesda Gardens Assisted Living And Memory Care Fort Worth

What Does Assisted Living Cost

The same Senior Living Preferences study referenced above found that for residents of assisted living communities, affordability was the top priority for only about 30% of respondents. However, for many seniors and their families looking into assisted living, discovering how to pay is still among their chief concerns before making a final decision.

Many communities have their priceswhich can include things like rent, care services, ADLs, and luxury upgradesincluded in monthly packages so family members can see pricing without hidden costs. These packages make it easier for families to find assisted living communities within their budget.

When compared to the prices and services provided through other senior care options, assisted living is quite affordable. The majority of assisted living communities charge monthly rent, with additional fees based on the residents needs for additional or specialized care services.

The national average monthly rent in 2019 was $4,000, although costs can range from $2,844 to $9,266 based on what state you live in. Compared to a skilled nursing facility, in which a shared room can cost an average of $245 a day, or $7,350 a month, or senior home care services that offer medical assistance at $3,872 for 22 days out of the month, the services, living environment, and cost of assisted living makes it one of the best and most cost effective options available.

How Do I Find An Assisted Living Facility

With so many options and factors to consider, determining whether or not an assisted living community meets your loved ones needs may seem like an overwhelming task. Our Senior Living Advisors can help connect you with assisted living facilities in your area. These local senior care experts can help you consider your aging relatives needs, your expectations for care, and your financial resources to find the right care for your loved one.

Also Check: Assisted Living Facilities In Bergen County Nj

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.

How Is Assisted Living Different From A Nursing Home

The major difference between an assisted living facility vs. a nursing home is that assisted living is for people who donât have any significant medical issues and can live somewhat independently. Nursing homes, on the other hand, are for people who have serious medical problems and need more care and attention.

You May Like: Sunrise Assisted Living Everett Wa