Assisted living is usually offered in a residential single family or apartment style home.
Residential Assisted living, also called residential care, is a type of living arrangement in which personal care services such as meals, housekeeping, transportation, and assistance with activities of daily living are available as needed. Also an important aspect of the assisted living model is to provide security, comfort and meaningful activities for residents. But unlike nursing homes, residents in assisted living remain independent, living on their own in a residential setting. Assistance with activities of daily living may include help with bathing, dressing, toileting, diapering, medicating, helping with daily living decisions and moving from one place to another.
Assisted living fills a gap between In-Home Care and nursing homes. Years ago, before assisted living, a person needing professional care went to a nursing home even though the care didn’t always merit the intensive supervision and control of a nursing home. The fairly new alternative of assisted living provides a more homelike environment for people needing or anticipating help with activities of daily living or incidental activities of daily living but for which 24-hour nursing care is not a necessity. People choosing a residential assisted living style can either live in a single family home or in an apartment residence, this depending on their provider.
Who can benefit from residential assisted living?
It’s estimated that one million Americans currently live in Assisted Living Facilities. Assisted Living residents can be young or old, affluent or low income, frail or disabled. A typical resident is a widowed or single woman in her eighties. Residents may suffer from memory disorders, or simply need help with mobility, incontinence or other challenges. Assisted Living is appropriate for anyone who can no longer manage to live on their own but doesn’t require medical care.
Not all the residents need significant care or assistance. Some are there because they want a simpler lifestyle without the worry of maintaining a home and they seek companionship, but the majority of individuals in residential assisted living homes cannot live independently usually because of age or medical reasons. They also may have chosen assisted living over an independent retirement community because they may need some minor help such as taking medications or they desire a secure environment or they may require some minor supervision. Residential care is only available for people that don’t require skilled nursing care.