A search for supportive living options for yourself or your loved ones can be overwhelming. Assisted living for seniors comes in many categories, shapes, and sizes. This idea of a senior living environment has no universal approach. With the diverse residential types, variation in fee structures, and potential benefits, the process of selecting the right place for seniors can be puzzling. Many people think of ‘assisted living’ and ‘skilled nursing’ as synonyms. However, over the years these terms have grown apart.
It is crucial to know the differences while opting for supportive care for your older adult. One of the main differences between assisted living and nursing homes is the level of care provided to the senior. There are many assisted livings in Toronto that give more social and communal living facilities to their seniors. After doing intensive research, many families plan to go for assisted living near them. Sometimes the best way to opt for one correct option is to compare it with the others. You need to learn more about the types of services, featuring and living costs, etc to select the best for your senior relative.
How do you distinguish assisted living facilities (ALF) from skilled nursing facilities (SNF)?
In this article, we will shed light on the top differences to help you decide the right choice.
Medical care services:
Although, both assisted and skilled living communities help seniors to pursue exceptional lives. One main differentiator is the level of assistance needed and provided to the resident. In skilled nursing facilities, the residents are provided with medical care round the clock. The professional nursing staff is present to help the patients with chronic illnesses. Services including physical, occupational, artificial respiratory assistance, and many others are provided to the seniors who need them. For instance, the choice of a nursing home for your senior may feel right when a deeper level of care is required. However, you need to get guidance from professional medical and personal advisors to help you see an objective perspective of things.
In an assisted living for seniors, the residents are provided with personalized medical care. For example, assisted living facilities might help the senior with his appointments to the hospital or daily medications. Moreover, some ALFs also provide a special area for residents with dementia and other memory issues to assist them accordingly. The seniors in assisted living communities are in good health. Thus, they need a helping hand in simpler tasks like daily activities of bathing, eating, and dressing, mental health care such as depression, social support to fight isolation, and financial assistance i.e., paying bills and many others.
Type of living space and setting:
Skilled nursing communities are considered medical care centers. These facilities provide a traditional rehabilitation environment to the residents. In the past, nursing homes were more institutional than assisted living facilities. While over the years, changes have been made to make them more resident-centric to increase the comfort of patients. Generally, here the residents have individual or shared rooms with attached bathrooms. They have a common space to share a meal and participate in social activities together.
While assisted living offers a home-like environment to its residents. These facilities provide surroundings where seniors live independently with assistance in daily chores. The residents are not very closely monitored. But they can get medical assistance when needed. The residents in assisted facilities live in individual or shared spaces with attached bathrooms, kitchens, and living rooms. Some ALFs also offer furnished apartments to individual residents. Some common areas are built to help people socialize and share meals if they want to.
Staff availability:
In skilled nursing facilities, the professional nursing staff is required on the site for a minimum of 8 hours per day throughout the week. If your loved one needs access to 24 hours medical personnel, choosing a nursing home might be the only best option for you. While in assisted living, registered nursing staff must be accessible or available on-call. They do not need to be on-site for assistance by law.
One thing you can do is to move your older adult to assisted living temporarily. Make a move to a skilled nursing home within a few months when the demand for intensive care increases. But at these times, things can turn out to be very frustrating for the patient as well as the family members. This all can be avoided by careful consideration at the start.
Length of stay:
In general, skilled living facilities are considered to be short-term. ‘Short term’ here is referred to as temporary by American Health Care Association. This kind of facility is required often following hospitalization or instant decline in health conditions. The nursing facility provides help in emergencies. Thus, if your loved one is suffering from any chronic illness. It is recommended to move to the nursing home.
In contrast to nursing facilities, assisted living is long-term. They offer an individual to live a healthy and normal life with complete independence. Along with other facilities, assisted living for seniors provides help in daily tasks that can be challenging for people of old age.
Overall, it is hard to decide but always consider the ‘need’. Once that is established, your next goal should be finding a place where you or your senior can be comfortable and happy. Many assisted livings in Toronto provide amazing services that are unparalleled in their offerings and setting.
Meta-description: Decision for an assisted living for seniors can be hard. Many assisted livings in Toronto offer great services for the senior community that help them pursue life as per their choice.
