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Senior Living and Care
information. resources. choice. |
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Thursday, September 02, 2010
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Assisted Living Resources and Tools
With the help of leading senior housing and assisted living professionals, we've assembled the best resources available to help you learn about, assess, and choose the right assisted living options for your needs.
We recommend you download and print each of our checklists. You'll find them invaluable tools when evaluating a community you are interested in and determining the costs you can expect. You'll also find our Assisted Living Glossary and Frequently Asked Questions sections to be great resources as well.
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| Long-term Care Conversation Checklist | This conversation guide offers helpful tips for family members to begin talking about senior care and senior housing with their loved ones. | 100.44 KB | Download |
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| Caregiver Stress Test | Take this test periodically to assess the amount of stress you are dealing with as a primary caregiver. | 91.72 KB | Download |
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| Assisted Living Tour Checklist | Print out and take with you when touring assisted living communities. This checklist will help you evaluate each assisted living community for important factors such as location, amenities, security, and general atmosphere. | 137.00 KB | Download |
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| Assisted Living Administrative Checklist | Use this checklist to get more information about the community from the administrators and/or management staff. Questions about licenses, certification, healthcare, transportation, and various policies are covered in this form. | 150.64 KB | Download |
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| Assisted Living Cost Worksheet | This worksheet is a helpful tool for you to determine what costs you can expect each month from the assisted living community you are interested in. | 146.92 KB | Download |
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| In Case of Emergency Checklist | A vital health history form to keep up-to-date and readily accessible in case of an emergency. | 126.59 KB | Download |
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| Fall Prevention Checklist | Make your home safer for seniors and print out this checklist for important safety considerations. | 112.55 KB | Download |
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| Senior Housing – What You Need to Know | Our 12-page booklet offers information about assessing your housing needs, considering certain housing factors, and determining your most important personal preferences in senior housing. | Unknown | Download |
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| Senior Housing Selection Tool | Unsure what type of senior housing is right for you or a loved one? We’ve put together this chart to help you determine what senior housing and level of care options might be most appropriate based on your personal situation. | 88.21 KB | Download |
- Glossary
- Frequently Asked Questions
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Accreditation
A designation issued by an independent body to an organization. The accrediting body establishes standards and requirements for organizations in a field or industry. To become accredited, the provider implements practices that meet the established standards and requirements.
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Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
Physical functions that an independent person performs each day, including bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, walking or wheeling, and transferring into and out of bed.
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Adult Day Care
Services provided to seniors at a community-based center for 8-10 hours during the day. Services are social and health related (i.e. planned activities, assistance with ADLs, and physical and mental exercise) and may cater to seniors with special needs such as memory care. Transportation to and from the center is often provided and meals and snacks are prepared and served.
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Adult Family/Foster Home
A type of assisted living license in many states which refers to a residential care home with few residents (i.e. 4-8 residents).
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Affordable Housing
A type of housing for seniors who need public assistance to pay for housing.
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Aid & Attendance (VA Benefit)
A special pension provided to Veterans and their widows(ers) of below-average financial means who require regular assistance with ADLs. This is a "pension benefit" and is not dependent upon service-related injuries for compensation.
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Alzheimer’s Disease
A progressive and fatal brain disorder which destroys brain cells and causes degradation of memory, thinking and behavior. The most common form of dementia.
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Animal-assisted therapy (AAT)
Also called Pet Therapy. A type of therapy which utilizes trained animals and handlers to achieve specific physical, social, cognitive, and emotional goals with patients. Studies have shown that physical contact with a pet can lower high blood pressure and improve survival rates for heart attack victims.
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Area Agency on Aging (AAA)
A non-profit organization that receives government support to organize and administer programs and services to older Americans on a local level. Their service area typically includes a county or group of counties. They also specialize in providing resources to seniors of below average financial means.
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Assisted Living Community
A group living arrangement that is designed to meet the needs of people who cannot live independently but do not require nursing facility services. Most provide help with some or all ADLs and IADLs. Types and sizes of facilities vary, ranging small homes to large apartment-style complexes. Small assisted living facilities with few residents (i.e. 4-8 residents) are often referred to as Residential Care Homes.
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| Q: Is assisted living the right option for me? |
| A: Assisted living facilities are for those who want help with some activities but don't need 24-hour care and/or monitoring. Generally, residents can get help with medication management or activities of daily living. For more extensive healthcare needs, a Skilled Nursing Facility may be a better choice. |
| Q: How do I recognize a quality assisted living facility? |
A: Since there is no national quality reference for assisted living communities like there is for skilled nursing facilities, you’ll need to check with your state licensing department to obtain the latest inspection report for the communities you are interested in. - Finding the state license - When looking at a detailed listing on SNAPforSeniors, click on the “Licenses” link to see a list of all licenses a facility holds. The office from which the license was issued should be able to provide you with the latest inspection report.
- Finding your Ombudsman- Another option would be to contact your local ombudsman to hear of any complaints that may have been registered against the facilities you are interested in. You can find your local ombudsman by visiting the National Long Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center.
- Looking for accredited facilities- A number of facilities in the U.S. have gone through the CARF-accreditation process to distinguish themselves as communities that meet the highest possible standards. To determine if the facility you are interested in has been CARF-accredited, check the “Affiliations” link on the facility detailed listing page.
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| Q: What is the difference between multiple types of assisted living? |
| A: You may see any of the following names used for an assisted living community: Assisted Living Facility, Board and Care Home, Adult Family Home, Congregate Care, Residential Care… each state has their own titles based on that particular state’s licenses. Although all states require a license for a facility to provide assisted living care, the main distinction among these different assisted living types is the number of residents. Residential care homes, like an Adult Family Home or a Board and Care Home, generally care for an average of 4-8 residents. These types of assisted living allow for a more personalized and flexible environment for residents. A great number of these homes will have a primary live-in caregiver and generally have a Registered Nurse manage the medication of each resident. Large scale communities, like a Supportive Living Facility, can provide for many more residents in a more formal atmosphere. These communities will generally provide more structure and organization with planned activities and mealtimes. |
| Q: How do I choose an assisted living community? |
A: There are many things to consider when choosing a new home and choosing an assisted living community can be even more daunting.We recommend the following steps to find the best choice for you and your family.
1. Choose a location. Use our Assisted Living search to narrow down the facilities in your area of interest. 2. Do your homework. Since there is no national quality reference for assisted living communities like there is for skilled nursing facilities, you’ll need to check with your state licensing department to obtain the latest inspection report for the communities you are interested in.
a. Finding the state license-When looking at a detailed listing on SNAPforSeniors, click on the “Licenses” link to see a list of all licenses a facility holds. The office from which the license was issued should be able to provide you with the latest inspection report.
b. Finding your Ombudsman- Another option would be to contact your local ombudsman to hear of any complaints that may have been registered against the facilities you are interested in. You can find your local ombudsman by visiting the National Long Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center.
3. Schedule a visit. The best way to evaluate any facility is to see for yourself firsthand. Sometimes being in the building is just the experience you need to “feel” if it’s the right choice. Many communities will also allow you to stay for a meal or spend the night to get a better idea of what the day-to-day experience is really like.
4. Get feedback. Talk to people who have had experience with this facility themselves. Hearing from current or past residents about their experiences and obtaining recommendations can be crucial in making a final decision. |
| Q: What are the different assisted living license types in each state? |
| A: To view a comprehensive list of all the senior housing licenses in the SNAPforSeniors database, please visit our Senior Housing License Types Reference page. |
| Q: How much does it cost? |
A: There are many factors which go into the cost for assisted living facilities so getting an average cost is difficult. However, the MetLife Mature Market Institute released a national survey of nursing home and assisted living costs in 2008 which shows the average rate of care throughout the country.
The level of care, location of the facility, and the private or semi-private rooms available can mean a huge range in monthly costs. For example, the low average rate of a room in a North Dakota assisted living community is $1,980 a month where the high average rate of a room in Southern Maine is $4,708 a month. Viewing the national survey will help to give you a better idea of what to expect in your area. |
| Q: How can I pay for assisted living? |
A: There are many ways in which seniors can pay for assisted living care (most often a senior will use a combination of two or more of the following):
1. Private Funds– seniors with comfortable financial means pay for assisted living care with private funds. Some examples of private funds are:
a. Money from savings, checking, & money market accounts b. Liquidation of investments such as stocks, bonds, & mutual funds
c. Liquidation of assets such as a home or a life insurance policy
d. Monetary contributions from family members
2. Long term care insurance – Once a LTC Insurance policy holder’s health has declined to the point that they meet minimum requirements of the policy, the Insurance company will begin to pay benefits which may be used to pay for assisted living.
3. Medicaid – Seniors with limited income and assets may be eligible. Because Medicaid is a state-administered program, each state has its own rules with respect to eligibility and covered services, however, most states allow Medicaid funds to be used toward assisted living services.
4. Veteran’s Benefits – Veterans (or their widows(ers)) that have served during wartime may be eligible for benefits through the Veteran’s Administration. To qualify, you must either have a low income and few assets or have disproportionately high medical-related expenses in relation to their income.
Note: Medicare is typically not a viable source of payment for assisted living. |
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