Descriptions of Senior Housing and Care Services
Adult Day Services
Community based group programs designed to address the needs of functionally and/or cognitive impaired adults and provide much needed assistance to caregivers. Any individual, who may require supervision, increased social opportunities with peers or assistance with personal care and daily living activities will benefit from Adult Day Services.
Adult Foster Care Congregate Homes
A governmental or nongovernmental establishment that provides foster care to 21 or more adults who are aged (60+), mentally ill, developmentally disabled, or physically disabled who require supervision on an ongoing basis but who do not require continuous nursing care. Foster care is defined as the provision of supervision, personal care, and protection in addition to room and board, for 24 hours a day, 5 or more days a week, and for 2 or more consecutive weeks for compensation. (ADULT FOSTER CARE FACILITY LICENSING ACT Act 218 of 1979).
Alzheimer's/Dementia Care Specialty
Many Assisted Living communities cater to individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other related memory disorders. There is a growing trend towards specialized communities that provide care and housing tailored to the special needs of individuals with this disease. What sets these facilities apart is the care provided that fosters residents individual skills and interests in an environment that helps to diminish confusion and agitation. Specialty services are provided in a secure environment, such as activity programs designed to include reality orientation classes and specially trained professional staff skilled in handling the behavior associated with memory impairments.
Apartments
Senior apartments are independent apartments that are age restricted - starting at 55 or 62 years of age. Some senior apartment communities may have an on-site meal program (generally no more than one meal per day) and housekeeping services available at a separate cost. There are federal and state programs that help pay for this level of housing for seniors with low to moderate income. Rent payments are usually a percentage of income. Many of these communities include amenities such as a club house/meeting room, library.
Assisted Living/Residential Care Communities
Assisted Living, the largest growing type of housing, provides a special combination of residential housing, personalized supportive services and health care designed for the individual needs of those requiring help with activities of daily living (dressing, bathing, grooming, etc.), and do not require skilled medical care provided in a nursing center. There are a variety of names in different parts of the country: Board and Care, Residential Care, Community Based Retirement Facilities, Personal Care, Adult Living, Adult Foster Care. However, the growing generic term throughout the country is 'Assisted Living'.
Services and level of care will vary, however most Communities provide assistance with daily activities, meals, laundry, and housekeeping.
Assisted Living Communities offer a wide range of choices from the cozy familiarity of a single family home to the more extensive apartment style environment. These communities can be free standing or part of a Continuing Care Community that provides independent, assisted and nursing care, or specialized services may be brought into independent retirement communities.
Continuing Care Communities
Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC), also known as Life Care Communities, are residential campuses that provide a continuum of care - from private units to assisted living and then skilled nursing care, all in one location. They guarantee you a lifelong residence, unlike retirement communities, assisted living facilities, and nursing centers. (see explanation for Multi-Level facilities below).
Home Care and Services
Home Care is a cost-effective alternative to hospital care or other institutional care. You can receive health care or personal care services within your own home with the assistance of a home care agency. Services are available to people of all ages on a basis of daily visits, monthly visits, or hourly care, up to 24-hours a day. Increasingly, older people are choosing to live independent lives and take advantage of home care services.
Services can include medical and non-medical care such as assisting with shopping, laundry, meals and companionship.
Hospice
Hospice is special care designed to provide compassion and support for individuals in the final phase of a terminal illness. Hospice care seeks to enable patients to spend their last days with dignity in as comfortable and pain-free manner as possible. Hospice care can be in a number of settings: in the privacy of your home, in a hospice facility or a nursing center.
Independent Retirement Living
These communities, often referred to as Independent or Congregate Living, are designed specifically for independent senior adults in an apartment like setting with 24-hour on-site supervision. Services usually include, but in some cases are optional: meals, housekeeping and laundry. Social Activities are usually entertaining and educational and help to foster a great sense of community among the residents. Only private pay is accepted in the rental communities.
Multi-Level Facilities
Facilities that provide more than one level of care; for example, assisted living and skilled nursing, but that are not licensed as a continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC).
Nursing Centers
Provides room and board, personal care, protection supervision and medical care, licensed and regulated by the State Department of Public Health.
Individually certified by the State for Medicare and Medicaid. Facilities accept a variety of payment options: Medicare/Medi-Cal, Medicaid, private insurance carriers, and private funds.
There are three levels of care provided by nursing centers:
Basic Care - Required to maintain a resident's activity of daily living. Personal care, ambulation, supervision and safety.
Skilled Care - Requires the services of a registered nurse, on a regular basis, for treatments and procedures.
Sub-Acute - Comprehensive inpatient care designed for someone who has had a acute illness, injury, or exacerbation of a disease process.