Assisted living facilities are for the older population who can no longer manage to live independently and need help with daily activities such as dressing or bathing but do not require the round-the-clock care that nursing homes provide. So, see assisted living facilities as providers of assistance while maximizing their residents’ independence. This is the basic gist of it, but why don’t we go into a little more detail about how it all works?
Basics
So assisted living facilities typically provide residents with their own rooms or apartments, in addition to some common areas, and offer round-the-clock supervision among a range of services, including meals, laundry, and housekeeping, in addition to assistance with personal care and help with any medications. So if you are looking for these services, as seen at Belairassistedliving.com, then this is the place where every want and need will be catered to, with no concessions or compromises. The elderly require a sensitive mix of help but also independence, and that is what assisted living is for, aiding wherever necessary but also facilitating the independence that people need for their mental and emotional well-being, and this objective is the core reason for these facilities.
A Social Environment
Another aim of assisted living is to provide a rich social environment for its residents, where they can get plenty of interaction that is beneficial to both their health and mental well-being. This can include social and recreational activities like book clubs, movie and concert trips, and programs for exercise and wellness. The facilities usually offer multiple levels of care depending on what the residents need, but also what they and/or their families can afford. They are often regulated at the state level, and there is quite a bit of variation among them. To make sure you find one that is a perfect fit for your loved one, it is very important to follow a methodical, structured search process and ask a lot of questions that offer all the insight you need, while consulting your loved one on their wishes and concerns before making an informed decision to sign a contract.
Assisted Living vs Nursing Home
You may be understandably confused about the exact distinction and differences between the two, and you may have even thought they were the same thing. That is not quite the case, as they are similar and have the same basic aim—caring for the elderly—but their methods and core principles vary quite a bit. The main difference, as we have established, is that assisted living offers a home-like experience, while a nursing home is designed to offer care in a more clinical setting, and the residents in nursing homes have very little, if any, independence. Assisted living aims to be pleasant and comfortable while still offering the necessary aid the elderly require.
Assisted living is often the best option if you are looking for something that takes care of all the necessary things like medication and all the chores that need to be done around the house, but also aims to keep the resident as independent as possible so not to stagnate in their age, and allow them to enjoy themselves.