3 Important Differences Between a Nursing Home & a Assisted Living Facility
When it comes to looking for a place to live that can allow you to age gracefully, it is important to understand the difference between a nursing home and an assisted living facility. These two types of housing options for elderly adults are designed to serve two different populations.
#1: Personal Care
An assisted living facility is designed to provide you with assistance with simple daily tasks. For example, they will come by and clean up your space and do your laundry. They will make sure your medication is organized and correctly dispensed. They may help with meal prep. An assisted living facility doesn't provide round-the-clock assistance to its residents but instead checks in and helps residents with tasks they need a little assistance with. They have support when they need it.
At a nursing home, there is 24/7 care. Someone takes care of housekeeping tasks, all medication will be dispensed by a professional, all meals will be prepared for you, and there will always be on-call assistance available. Be it a nurse or personal assistance; someone will be nearby at the touch of a call button to assist. Assistance will be provided for things such as bathing and using the restroom.
#2: Socialization
Both an assisted living facility and a nursing home provide you with opportunities to socialize. With an assisted living facility, there are going to be other seniors and caregivers around. Assisted living facilities often hold events for the residents. The type of events may vary based on the assisted living facility, from things such as bingo to book clubs to exercises classes. There may be a community dining room for meals. There may also be events that are held off-site for residents, as well as transportation to events.
In a nursing home, residents may share a room with another resident. Meals are usually served inside of rooms. There is often some socialization offered, but it may be limited due to the residents' physical condition.
#3: Accommodations
With most assisted living facilities, residents have their apartments or living units. You will have a small kitchen, living area, bathroom, and bedroom that are all your own. The living area will be modified to accommodate wheelchairs and walkers easily. In a nursing home, you don't have an entire apartment to yourself. Generally, you have a single or shared bedroom, and you generally have a bathroom right off your bedroom as well. You can use common areas, but space isn't as personalized as an assisted living facility.
If you are still independent but need assistance with daily tasks, an assisted living facility may be the right choice for you. If you are not that independent and need assistance with medical tasks on top of daily tasks, a nursing home may better suit your needs. You can always talk to the placement director of both a local nursing home and a local assisted living facility to help you see which one is the right one for you.