Housing
Housing With Services
Assisted Living
Housing Highlights - Assisted Living
Assisted living communities are designed for individuals
who cannot function in an independent living environment, but
do not need nursing care on a daily basis. Assisted living communities
usually offer help with bathing, dressing, meals, and housekeeping.
What Are Assisted Living Residences?
Assisted living residences are:
1. housing environments which provide individualized health and
personal care assistance in a home-like setting. The level of
care available is between that provided in congregate housing
(housing with meal service) and a skilled nursing facility. In
these settings:
- residents are semi-independent physically or mentally, or
frail persons who need frequent assistance;
- services offered include, personal care assistance, health
care monitoring, limited health care services and/or the dispensing
of medications;
- state licensing and regulation by state social welfare agencies
is required.
2. important because they promote independence by meeting residents'
supportive needs while preventing inappropriate institutionalization.
3. known by various other names. The most common are: personal
care homes, sheltered housing, residential care, homes for adults,
managed care, catered living, board and care, and domiciliary
care.
Who Resides In Assisted Living Residences?
Assisted living housing is often deemed necessary when you have
difficulty performing daily tasks and have no one to help you.
Some indicators are:
- needing help preparing meals, bathing, dressing, toileting,
or taking medication -needing assistance with housekeeping chores
or laundry
- requiring some health care assistance or monitoring
needing transportation to doctors, shopping, and personal business
- feeling frequently confused or experiencing memory problems
Use this check list to evaluate characteristics you should look
for in an assisted living residence:
Yes No
Does the residence have a home-like atmosphere?
Does the residence appear small in size and not feel overwhelming?
Does the residence offer personalized health care services?
Does the staff encourage performing tasks yourself with assistance?
Do units have a full bathroom and kitchenette?
Is there an emergency call system?
Are friends and family close enough to visit and are they encouraged
to do so?
Cost & Financial Service?
Currently most assisted living facilities are privately operated.
This means that the costs of care are not usually covered by publicly
financed programs. The average fee, which includes meals and personal
care assistance, ranges from $1,200 to $2,000 a month. Costs are
often keyed to your level of impairment and service need.
In some states, rent or service subsidies are available. However,
the typical reimbursement rate provided by Supplemental Security
Income (SSI) is often too low to assist those with higher levels
of impairment and service needs. Your local social security office
and Medicaid Office can determine this.
Where To
Get Help?
There are several ways to locate an assisted living facility
in your area. Contact these organizations to find out if there
are facilities in your area:
Eldercare Locator Service
Directs you to the nearest agency on aging. No charge.
(800) 677-1116
Eldercare
Locator (Off Site)
Assisted Living Facilities Association of America
9401 Lee Highway, Suite 402
Fairfax, Virginia 22031
(703) 691-8100
An Eye On The Future?
Four factors are affecting the emergence of assisted living as
an important long term care alternative for the mentally and physically
frail:
- major increases in long term care costs projected into the
next century are staggering;
- demographically, the number of people over the age of 85 is
expected to double in the next 20 years, followed by a doubling
again in the next thirty years;
- most older people are seeking more appealing alternatives
to live out the last years of their life; and
- government agencies are recognizing these trends and are likely
to introduce entitlement programs that allow older people to
choose an assisted living setting instead of a nursing home.
Consumer Information?
American Association of Retired Persons
Attn: Fulfillment Department
601 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20049
- A Home Away From Home (D12446)
Price: Free - Staying at Home (D14986)
Price: Free
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
901 E Street, N.W., Suite 500
Washington, DC 20004-2037
- Assisted Living. offering Supportive Care for the Older Adult
(brochure)
Price:1 copy free; $15.00/100 copies - Non-Profit Housing and Care Options for Older People (brochure)
Price: 1 copy free; $15.00/100 copies
National Consumer League
815 15th Street, NW, Suite 516
Washington, DC 20005
- Primer on Long-Term Care
Price: $4.00
Assisted Living Facilities Association of America
9401 Lee Highway, Suite 402
Fairfax, Virginia 22031
- Consumer Guide and National Directory of Assisted Living Residences
Availability: late 1993 - The Assisted Living Alternative
A 6-minute video
Price: $20.95
For more information, write to the National Resource and Policy
Center on Housing and Long Term Care, USC, Andrus Gerontology
Center, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0191.
Disclaimer:
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