PHYSICAL FACILITIES
An Assisted Living Facility may be in a stand-alone apartment building or a garden apartment complex. Or it may be part of a larger continuing care community. Either way, you will live in your own private or semi-private apartment; studio, one or two bedroom.
At a minimum, there will also be a communal dining room. Depending on the facility, your meals will be served either restaurant or cafeteria style. Often, coffee and snacks are available between meals. In addition, your apartment may have a kitchenette or even a full-service kitchen.
Most ALFs have several common areas. There may be a recreation room with card tables, games, and/or sports equipment. Another area might be set up for movies and lectures. A lobby with comfortable chairs could be the perfect spot to visit with family and friends. Often there is a multi-purpose room. You will certainly have access to washers and dryers for doing laundry.
Some ALFs will have a library area, possibly even with computer and internet access. If you only have a kitchenette in your apartment, there may be a full kitchen on-site that you can use for cooking and baking special treats. An in-house convenience store, where available, is very useful. There might even be a health and wellness center where you can go for minor or routine medical needs.
Obviously the physical facilities can range from the simple and utilitarian all the way to the luxurious. There may be a minimum of common areas or, at the opposite extreme, a multitude of public rooms. Apartment sizes range from a single room (studio) through multi-bedroom. Every Assisted Living Facility is different.
STANDARD AMENITIES
As mentioned above, virtually every ALF provides some sort of meal service. In addition, there may be provisions for guest meals, in-room dining, and between meal snacks. Some facilities even offer catering for family celebrations.
Your rent will probably include some basic services. One of the most important is an emergency response call button in your apartment in case of illness or accident. Periodic housekeeping and linen services will make your life much easier. Of course your basic utilities, such as heat and electricity are covered. You may even have access to basic cable television.
There is usually an extensive calendar of social activities. On-site events might include club meetings, lectures, movies, and organized games. In addition, the facility might sponsor trips, including transportation, for shopping, entertainment, or medical appointments.
Optional Services
Supplementary care services, for an additional fee, are usually available. These are often referred to as “enhanced care” or “customized care.” They will be billed either as a regular monthly fee or on an as-needed, “fee for service” basis. You will probably be evaluated before moving in to see if the administration feels that you need any of these services. In addition, you can decide that you would like this additional help.
A common service is medication management. This might be as basic as an assistant coming by at regular intervals to give you your pills. Or, for example if you are diabetic, having someone to monitor your blood sugar and give and adjust insulin doses.
There will usually be other optional nursing services that you can take advantage of. These will be provided by or supervised by a licensed nurse. They might include blood pressure monitoring, wound care, regular weigh-ins, eye drop administration, etc.
If you need help with your personal care, you may have access to attendant service. In this situation, an aide could supervise or assist you with dressing, bathing, grooming, eating, toiletting, or even escort you to different places within the facility. These services are usually provided by someone without a medical background.
Depending upon the facility, you may discover a whole collection of additional (i.e. extra cost) amenities. You may be able to get laundry service. Perhaps there is transportation available for doctor or other appointments. There might be an in-house beauty parlor or barber shop. You might have access to a personal shopper. Every ALF is different and they all offer different services.
SPECIALIZED CARE
In addition to all the amenities and services listed above, some facilities offer care for special situations. These might include facilities for residents with Alzheimer’s disease, those needing hospice care, and/or temporary accommodations that can be used for caregiver respite.
An Alzheimer’s wing will be locked to prevent patient wandering. There may be specially trained staff on hand who understand the disease and its progression. It is not uncommon for one member of a couple to be in the regular residence while the other needs the security of this specialized care.
Hospice care provides a home-like setting for a terminal patient. Rather than being in a sterile, impersonal hospital room, the hospice patient can be surrounded by his or her own belongings, near friends and family. Most facilities offering this type of care will have in-house staff to help with basic nursing care.
When temporary accommodations are available, they will usually be in a furnished room or apartment. These facilities provide the availability of a safe, secure placement for a loved one if a caregiver needs to be away. In addition, if you are considering moving to an assisted living facility, you may be able test the waters by taking advantage of this short-term living arrangement.
AUTHOR: Laurie S. Wallmark
MORE INFO: Excerpted from "Assisted Living: Making the Choice"
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