What is Assisted Living?
Assisted Living is a housing facility and care program for individuals who can no longer, or choose not to live independently. Assisted living offers a range of care and services depending on the budget of the resident or type of facility. There are more than 20,000 assisted living facilities in the United States alone, housing over 700,000 residents. These numbers will continue to increase as the Baby Boomer generation enters retirement. Assisted Living facilities are mostly for-profit organizations that house elderly and help with important needs such as resident activities of daily living, as well as monitoring safety and security. In 2021, the median cost of an assisted living home was $4,500 per month, with prices exceeding $7,000 per month for high end properties.
Unlike nursing homes, there is no "national definition" of assisted living in the United States, but there is licensing requirements at the state level in domains such as staffing, training and safety standards. Some states clearly define assisted living, while others leave the definition broad. This is why beyond these basic needs, it is incumbent of properties to clearly define and uphold their services to provide a positive resident experience.
What are Assisted Living Facilities like?
Assisted Living facilities come in many different layouts ranging from large residential complexes housing hundreds of residents to smaller, private or semi-private residences. Often, residents have their own private apartment and are free to come and go as they please. There is no on site medical equipment that one might find in a nursing home or memory care facility and the nursing staff may not be on site all 24 hours. The main goal of assisted living is to provide support and security to residents, while empowering them to remain healthy and as independent as possible.
Potential needs of assisted living resident
By definition, any individual who needs assistance with one or more of their activities of daily living is an assisted living resident. This contrasts with independent living residents who can handle all of their ADLs. Assisting with these ADLs is a primary value proposition of assisted living facilities. This can range from cooking and cleaning assistance to grooming and healthcare assistance. Residences may help with arranging proper medical care for residents, or ease the path to recover for injured residents.
In addition to ADLs, assisted living residents need good food and social interaction to remain healthy. Assisted Living facilities put tremendous effort into building engaging event and activity calendars for residents as well as nutritious meals to keep residents strong and healthy. Creating an engaged community of residents is one of the best ways that a facility can grow their brand. In the end, resident happiness drives future business is a need that cannot be overlooked.
