Assisted living offers help for those individuals who are not fully independent, yet not ready to move to a total care nursing home. Assisted living residences vary in the services they provide, the size of the apartment, the medical care available, and the levels of security and staff. Usually, residents in assisted living are no longer able to live independently and are in need of help with meal preparation, laundry, dressing, bathing, grooming, housekeeping and dispensing their medications. Across the country, other names for "assisted living" include; Adult Living Facilities, Supportive Care, Enhanced Care, Catered Care, Adult Foster Care, Adult Homes, Retirement Residences, Residential Care, and Board and Care. Assisted living residences do not take the place of a nursing home, but offer an alternative.

 

Increasingly individuals transitioning from their homes find assisted living residences more conducive for privacy, are environmentally more desirable than long-term care homes, and provide for enhanced individuality. The profile of the newly admitted resident is over the age of 85, dependent in two or more activities of daily living, female, and a desire to participate in development of their individualized plan of care.

 

If given a choice, many individuals express the desire to remain in the assisted living residence as long as possible, even until the end of life. In response to this desire, housing managers, assisted living home care providers, and hospice agencies continue to explore the benefits, challenges, and possibilities to meeting the individual's expressed wish.

 

Since every assisted living residence is unique and each resident has a distinctive set of circumstances, it is beneficial to have the discussion early on in the terminal illness as to what the desires are of the resident and what the assisted living residence can accommodate. While the Medicare beneficiary is entitled to the Medicare hospice benefit, the hospice agency, primary physician, assisted living staff, patient and family must be in agreement of the plan of care. Measures of concern for the patient include safety, medication administration, 24-hour care giving, the adequate staff support, and management of symptoms.

 

The Perspectives Audio Conference, "Hospice Services in Assisted Living," on August 7th will explore the challenges, barriers, and opportunities for collaboration between the assisted living staff, hospice, and the resident/family. Through the understanding of the limitations and the opportunities of each service provider, individualized care plans may be developed that provide the opportunity to support the resident in the assisted living residence throughout his or her terminal illness until death occurs.