What Assisted Living is and How it Can it Help You

An assisted living facility is a home that is not exactly like a nursing home. The assisted living facility is for people who still can live independently but still need help with activities of daily living, commonly referred to as ADL's. The residents of an assisted living facility do not require constant around the clock care but they do require some help with certain aspects of their life. While an assisted living facility offers help with dressing, bathing, housekeeping, laundry service, eating, and assistance with medications they do not offer full nursing care. Assisted living facilities are usually the step before a nursing home is needed.

How Can an Assisted Living Facility Help You?

Maybe your loved one is getting on in years and unable to fully care for their homes or they have a health condition that does not require around the clock care but disables them from properly taking care of themselves. This is where an assisted living facility is able to step in and help. If your loved one is unable to properly bath themselves anymore an assisted living center has trained staff on hand to be able to assist in bathing. The simple tasks we do daily and take for granted later turn into tasks we may be unable to do for ourselves and need help.

How Can an Assisted Living Facility Bring More to Your Life?

If you or your loved one are unable to get around like once before you might find your quality of life lacking. An assisted living facility offers group activities and solo activities for their residents. Not only do they offer things for you to do but they also offer friendships and togetherness. Living alone and not being able to get around can lead to loneliness and depression. Living in a assisted living facility you or your loved one will be surrounded by staff and other residents where loneliness will not be a problem.

What Types of Services are offered at an Assisted Living Facility?

Depending on the types of services you or your loved one is looking for you should shop around for an assisted living facility that will meet your needs. The basic services that all assisted living facilities should include are 24 hour supervision, personal care assistance, three meals a day with snacks in between, transportation, exercise programs, security systems, housekeeping and laundry, and daily activities. Some added features some facilities offer are exercise rooms, chapels, recreational rooms, outdoor gardens, pets, and libraries.

Can you afford an Assisted Living Facility?

Most assisted living facilities are covered by your monthly social security, benefits, or whatever income you make monthly. While assisted living facilities are run for profit and nonprofit this will greatly change the monthly costs. Depending on the area you live the costs can run between $800 to $4,000 dollars per month.

Source:
http://helpguide.org/elder/assisted_living_facilities.htm