The Difference between Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Homes

Most people use the terms Assisted Living and Nursing Home interchangeably not knowing that there is a very huge difference between the two. This article discusses these differences and will help you learn a thing or two on the right place to take your senior citizen.

Assisted living facilities

Unlike those in nursing homes, residents in assisted living facilities are more independent. Most of them can actually go through their day without any assistance and will only call for attention when it is time to bathe, dress, groom or prepare food. Those who are able and willing to cook are provided with a kitchenette in their private rooms where they can prepare their favorite meals.

Individuals in assisted living care facilities also get the chance to enjoy recreational activities where they socialize and learn a thing or two about one another. They also get to decide what they want to do for the day with opportunities to go shopping and for trips to different places.

Residents in assisted living homes require little to no medical attention during their time here. Most of them are in good physical and mental health and only need assistance on basic chores during the day.

Each candidate is offered enough privacy in a secure environment. All this is to ensure they enjoy their time here, the same way they would if they were home. The apartment each candidate is given is very comfortable with room service whenever it is needed.

Assisted living facilities aim at helping the elderly residents learn how to carry out different activities on their own. This means more independence and freedom for the senior citizens

Nursing homes

Individuals in nursing homes demand more attention than those in assisted living. They usually need 24hrs monitoring and are generally in bad health. Most of them will be in bad physical and mental health.

Most of the individuals in these homes need assistance in more than four or further activities during the day. Some need to be pushed on wheel chairs, get help walking, eating and other tasks that people in assisted homes would have no trouble doing.

Nursing homes are designed to cater for the needs of those who are unable to get the right attention at home but are not bad enough to stay in hospitals. However, some of the nursing homes are required by the state to have a hospital set up.

Just like in hospitals, senior citizens in nursing homes will have little to no privacy at all. They will share rooms and have little say in what their day should be like. Individuals in these homes are not considered as residents like it is the case with assisted living facilities but are rather seen as patients. The main aim of nursing homes is to get the patients back to health within the shortest period of time even though some end up staying there for a really long time.

Irene Sawka is the author of this article on Assisted Living. Find more information about Assisted Living Chicago here.