When aging senior citizens begin to see a decline in their personal or mental health, assisted living care becomes a real benefit. Assisted living offers people with mild health problems a unique environment to live in, offering residents the comforts of home, as well as a social community in which to stay active. In addition to the comfort factor, assisted living offers its residents medical supervision and minor medical care to go along with assistance with basic daily living activities.

 

The Typical Assisted Living Resident

The typical assisted living resident is a senior citizen that has suffered a mild decline in their overall health. This can be due to an injury, an illness or simply because of aging. They may experience challenges to do certain daily functions such as bathing or dressing, or they could not be as sharp mentally as they used to be. The comfort of a community and the availability of medical attention is needed. Not all residents of these facilities may be senior citizens. Some assisted living residences serve young people with mental problems or impaired cognitive functions.

Assisted living residents still manage their lives on their own except they may require assistance with daily activities of life. Therefore the assisted living care homes typically provide help with things such as: housekeeping, transportation, toileting, dressing, and cooking. These tasks are usually performed by trained staff, but not necessarily licensed nursing staff. Medical monitoring is available to help the resident with medication management and other minor care they may require.

 

Most Residents in Assisted Living are Long-Term Residents

Most residents are long-term residents. People generally move into assisted living facilities with the intent on living out their lives in the peaceful, yet social setting. However, many assisted living communities also offer short-term care. Some physicians use assisted living as an outpatient treatment post surgery. The patient might have need for help with normal activities of daily life, but only until they fully recover from a medical procedure. After recovery, these residents will return to their permanent place of residence.

Currently, there are over one million people living under assisted living care. The typical resident is a senior widowed-woman. Assisted living is mostly a private pay senior care option since Medicare does not pay for long-term options with custodial care such as assisted living. With that in mind, many assisted living residents pay for the service or have families who cover the expenses. As the number of seniors increases, the number of assisted living residents has also been increasing. Although the level of care and type of facility varies greatly among residences, assisted living provides a much-needed senior care option that is not as hands-on as a skilled nursing facility.