Nursing Home vs. Assisted Living

Assisted Living Facilities

An assisted living facility is often confused with a nursing home, and the two establishments are often compared interchangeably. The fact is, a person able to take advantage of assisted living care would likely have no reason to choose nursing home care instead. Assisted living individuals are more independent and can generally get through the day by themselves. They may really only require attention for tasks such as preparing food, or personal grooming. Often times assisted living facilities require little to no medical care, and ideally candidates are in good mental and physical condition. Assisted living facilities provide a higher degree of personal privacy and focus their efforts on maintaining self-sufficiency for the individual. Social activities are still promoted under assisted living care, and most autonomous decisions about the individuals can still be made on their own. Assisted living can also provide luxuries such as apartment building that offer house keeping and meals for those who prefer not to maintain a larger home. Generally an assisted living facility offers the care seekers the choice of how and when they will require assistance. The client will never be “told” but “asked” in almost every instance of how they can best be served.