The concept of assisted living was derived from the desire and increased need to provide a form of assistance to senior citizens, who in one form or another are too young to enroll into nursing home facilities and to some extend do not necessarily require the services offered by independent living institutions. Hence, it can be said that this concept offers services that act as a link between independent living and nursing homes.
In the late 1970s, this concept of assisted living emerged as an alternative form of elderly care service provision due to considerable advancement in medicine and health care that allowed senior citizens to gracefully age in place. This concept was even propelled further by the continued rumors and hearsays of perceived neglect and mistreatment in nursing homes.
Assisted Living Concept in the United States
Within the United State, the term assisted living has no specific definition that is nationally recognized and applied by assisted living facilities or governing institutions. Hence, “assisted living” is used as a licensure term by more than two-thirds of the States within the country and others use complimentary terms such as residential care homes, personal care homes and assisted care living homes to describe the various services offered by this concept of assisted living. This diversity has necessitated each State to have its own licensing agency to carter for describing the functions and services to be provided by assisted living institutions.
Types of Assisted Living Concepts
Although assisted living institutions and facilities are diverse in terms of building structures and service provision, most of them offer the same types of services though with a few differences here and there. Therefore this concept of assisted living aims at assisting institutions offer services such as;
1. Continuous Care
Under this category of assisted living, assisted living aims at offering services such as independent living, assisted living and nursing services all under one home care facility. Hence, their main aim is to assist their residents achieve a comfortable and safe environment in which to live as their needs both medical and non-medical are taken care of as these needs change over time. This to the residents offers convenience as there is no need to move from one home care facility to another in order to access services they need due to these changes.
2. Private Apartments
Under this concept of assisted living, private apartment facilities are provided by new assisting living institutions. Most of the time, they offer no specialized medical assistance and nurses or the nursing staff are not always present. However, there are usually available individuals who can provide other forms of needed assistance.
Services Offered under the Concept of Assisted Living
Under the concept of assisted living, facilities involved in the provision of assisted living services should at least meet the following minimum requirements in terms of amenities and services provision. These are;
1. Assistance in Daily Activities
For most residents within these institutions of assisted living, conducting day to day activities of daily living proves to some extend to be a challenge. Therefore, they usually seek assistance in assisted living institutions so as to be enabled to conduct these activities in a comfortable and safe manner in order to improve their quality of life. Some of the areas in which these senior citizens require assistance include bathing, dressing, meal preparation and personal care.
2. Provision of Social amenities and Activities
In an attempt to keep the spirits of residents high, most of the assisted living institutions offer social amenities and activities such as recreational facilities, tours and outings, hobby classes, social events and sports. Others offer entertainment opportunities and competition activities aimed at team building.
3. Communal Activities
In most assisted living institutions, communal activities are aimed at fostering friendly relationship with communities and residents around the institution. In fostering these friendly relationships assisted living institutions offer free transportation services to its residents in and around these communities in an attempt of developing friendly relationships. This also enables their residents to be able to visit their loved ones as they interact with their friends.
Cost of Assisted Living
The cost implications in most assisted living facilities differ from one place to another depending on the cost of living within those regions. Hence, on average most assisted living institutions offer service charges of around $3200 per month. This in most cases translates to $100 per day, without the inclusion of medical cover. When viewed from both angles this can both be relatively expensive or cheap. Therefore for individuals seeking these services, they must evaluate within themselves whether they are able to afford and sustain these costs.
