These days many capable seniors are finding that maintaining a home and yard can be too much to handle, yet they don’t need the 24-hour care of a nursing home. For these elders, assisted living is a popular option. Still, many people tend to lump assisted living in the same category with nursing homes, but there are several important differences you should know about.
Characteristics of Assisted Living Communities
• Assisted living residents are typically more independent. They can manage daily tasks with minimal help, and they only need general help with daily activities like grooming, cleaning, and preparing their meals for the day.
• Personal privacy and self-sufficiency are important to assisted living residents. Residents are offered a greater sense of security than living alone, but they are still very independent.
• Meals and light housekeeping are often provided in assisted living facilities.
• In assisted living, residents usually live in an apartment either alone or with a spouse. Most seniors find that managing an apartment is much easier than keeping up with the maintenance on an entire house.
• Residents in assisted living are capable of making their own decisions, and they still participate in many social activities with their peers. A senior who belongs in assisted living might suffer boredom or depression because of a lack of engaging interaction with others.
• Residents who are ideal candidates for assisted living need do not need extensive medical treatment. Generally speaking they have better overall physical and mental health than nursing home patients.
Characteristics of Nursing Homes
• Nursing home patients need considerable more care, require 24-hour supervision by a licensed nurse, and often suffer from serious health problems.
• Residents of nursing facilities require help with very simple tasks like walking, eating, and taking medications.
• Nursing home residents need a lot of individual attention and must have long-term care.
• Many residents in nursing homes must share rooms and their privacy is limited.
• After suffering a stroke or a fall, patients may spend time rehabilitating in a nursing home until less acute care is needed.
It is important to note that, in many cases, a larger senior care operator may operate both assisted living and nursing home operations. In addition, a campus might exist that includes independent living apartments, assisted living housing and a skilled nursing facility.
Tags: assisted living, assisted living facilties, nursing homes
