Assisted living services in the state of Pennsylvania provide help for senior citizens who have certain conditions that preclude them from living on their own. Several types of assisted living centers are available, depending on the senior's needs. Centers may cater to people with mobility issues from injuries and arthritis, or comfort the terminally ill. Assisted living services have communal facilities while nursing homes provide individual medical treatment for seriously ill seniors.
State Services
The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare offers information about assisted living facilities for seniors. The Department has a toll-free phone number to advise residents of available assisted living options and public programs, such as Medicare and Community Choice, a Pennsylvania state program to help older citizens obtain community-based assisted living and elder care.
Alzheimer's Programs
Some assisted living centers offer special programs for Alzheimer's patients. Alzheimer's treatment combines traditional medical care, nutritional counseling, and organized physical and mental activities to improve the patient's quality of life. Presbyterian Senior Care, with two locations in Pennsylvania, developed the Woodside Experience program for dementia care, which has been copied by other Alzheimer's treatment centers around the world. Granite Farms Estate in Media and other full-care retirement homes provide Alzheimer's care in addition to regular services.
Personal Care Facilities
Seniors who can care for themselves but have some physical maladies like arthritis that require extra attention benefit from assisted living arrangements. An assisted living center provides meals and social activities for residents. Facilities of this type are licensed as personal care centers by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. Sterling Glen of Centre City, in Philadelphia, is close to museums and local attractions, offers fine dining options, computer workshops and cultural outings. Seniors live in their own apartment and have access to personal and medical care from staff.
Hospice
When an elderly patient has an incurable disease, and all treatment options have been exhausted, hospice care provides a compassionate way for the senior to spend their final days. The object of hospice care is to relieve the patient's pain as much as possible and give them a comfortable place to rest and visit with family and friends. A hospice team at an assisted living center may include a physician, speech therapist, social worker or registered nurse. The Guthrie Hospice in Towanda deals exclusively with patients who have six months or less to live. The hospice offers pain management, ongoing medical care, dietary counseling and bereavement support for family members. Compassionate Care Hospice, a national chain of hospice centers, has several locations in Pennsylvania.
Regulations
Assisted living facilities in the state of Pennsylvania which provide meals, social activities, grooming help, and coordination of medical care come under the umbrella of a "personal care" home. They must be licensed pursuant to Title 55 of the Pennsylvania State Code, Chapter 2600, and inspected for proper health and personal care procedures, cleanliness, safety and other issues.
