Posted on February 2, 2010.
Assisted living communities care: How to choose the right - A community home care offers community life, often with planned activities, housekeeping and laundry, transportation, meals, exercise and wellness programs, opportunities to socialize with other residents, assistance with activities of daily living, and some medical care.
- A community home care could be an apartment building, a campus-like, or even a large converted house. According to the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA), most have between 24 and 120 units ranging in size from a single room in an apartment full. Residents usually have much freedom in terms of what they do and when they do, but they must also get plenty of support from health workers trained.
- Assisted living is regulated (and defined) by each state rather than federal, so you can expect a wide variation in what each community offers. Make sure you know exactly what you've selected the bid before the person moves into your custody in.
Who is a good candidate for an assisted living community?
Assisted living is somewhere between a community of independent living and skilled nursing center in terms of level of care provided. If your dependents begins to need assistance with basic activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, grooming, walking, medication management, toileting and eating) - or expects to need such help on the line - it may find this a good community support for assisted living.
If an elderly person has a serious illness that requires specialized care, assisted living may not be the right choice, even if some assisted living communities have special wings that provide specialized nursing care or disease AD.
How can we find a good assisted living community?
Caring.com has a searchable database of national community leaders of all types, including assisted living.
Your local Agency on Aging can also help you find communities in your area and your state or regional long-term care ombudsman may also be able to help. You can also consult an expert in transition as a geriatric care manager or a manager to move up levels that will be familiar with your local community.
