An assisted living facility provides a home for adults who require part-time assistance with everyday tasks, according to Medicine Plus, a National Institutes of Health website. Some retirement communities offer an assisted living facility, but the span of assisted living care includes adults of all ages. Assisted living facilities should not be confused with nursing homes. Nursing homes provide around the clock nurses, or nursing aides in residence, and answer to federal standards of care.
Overseer
In the United States, the federal government regulates nursing homes but does not oversee assisted living facilities. States create their own uniform standards of operation. According to the Consumer Consortium on Assisted Living, states have sovereignty over setting the requirements necessary to open and maintain an assisted living facility, and they grant licenses and perform inspections.
Types
The State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services, WDHS, explains there are three official types of assisted living facilities in that state. A community-based residential facility may have five or more residents and does not provide more than three hours of nursing care per week. In what is called an adult family home, only three or four adults reside and receive up to seven hours of nursing care weekly. A residential care apartment complex is host to five or more adults in fully equipped independent apartments. As stated by WDHS regulations, residents cannot receive “more than 28 hours of supportive, personal, and nursing services per week per resident.”
Residents
Assisted living facilities offer a home to a variety of adult residents with physical and mental limitations. Some adults, such as homeless pregnant women, simply need assistance because they lack a familial support network. WDHS says people with physical disabilities, traumatic brain injuries and developmental disabilities are just some of the groups whose degree of independence could not be possible without aide of assisted living. Assisted living facilities can also house those battling addiction issues.
Services
An assisted living facility provides a limited amount of services. Residents should expect assistance with medications, health monitoring and leisure-time services, if necessary. Help with daily tasks including dressing, disrobing, eating, washing, grooming and going to the bathroom also is available. Other services, such as counseling and parenting classes, vary according to the residential population.
Costs
Expect to pay less for an assisted living residence than you would for a nursing home. The cost depends on the type of facility you select and the amount of daily care needed. MedicinePlus explains “Medicare does not cover the costs of assisted living.” However, some long-term care insurance and health policies do. WDHS says veterans and Social Security benefits may cover some of the cost, but most people pay the majority of the cost out-of-pocket.
