Assisted living vs. nursing homes, what’s the best choice for your loved one? If you lack experience with either type of care, you may be undecided on which option is suitable for your loved one. In this article, we’ll explore the differences between assisted living facilities and nursing homes to help you identify which one is suitable for your loved one.
What is Assisted Living?
Assisted living is provided to senior citizens who can no longer live alone but want to remain independent and maintain a social and active lifestyle. Generally, assisted living facilities are excellent for seniors in reasonably good health who only need assistance with routine tasks like bathing, dressing, cooking, taking medication, and doing laundry.
What is a Nursing Home?
Nursing homes, on the other hand, provide round-the-clock care. Generally, nursing homes are ideal for seniors who require personalized medical attention due to serious health complications. Nursing homes offer specialized services such as rehabilitative care, medication management, and some even provide palliative care.
Assisted Living vs. Nursing Homes: What are The Differences?
Now that we’ve explored what both assisted living and nursing homes are, to help you decide which of the two is suitable for your loved one, here are the key differences between both:
Medical Attention
In assisted living facilities, residents receive medical attention depending on their particular needs. However, assisted living facilities generally don’t provide specialized, full-time medical care. Thus, they are ideal for seniors with few or no serious health complications.
On the other hand, nursing homes provide round-the-clock medical care. Furthermore, they usually tend to have skilled medics such as doctors and nurses on-site, making them ideal for seniors with chronic medical conditions.
Level of Assistance
Assisted living facilities afford residents plenty of independence. Residents can do tasks without assistance, but they can get help to do tasks such as cook, bathe or dress if they require help.
Conversely, nursing homes offer more extensive help. Caregivers help residents use the restroom and take their medication. Nutritious meals are also prepared by kitchen staff, and laundry is done for the residents.
Number of Residents
Assisted living facilities usually have fewer residents than nursing homes. On average, they have 50 residents, while nursing homes typically have an average of 100 residents. However, the number of residents may vary from one senior living to another.
Recreational Activities
One of the biggest perks of assisted living facilities is the multitude of activities offered to residents. From indoor activities like yoga and board games to outdoor ones like gardening and park visits, assisted living facilities are excellent for senior citizens who wish to keep an active lifestyle.
Conversely, nursing homes also offer recreational activities such as board games, cooking classes, and painting classes. However, the list of recreational activities at nursing homes is limited compared to assisted living facilities.
What Facility is Right for My Loved One?
Generally, it is estimated that an assisted living resident’s average length of stay is usually almost close to two years, after which he or she will move to a nursing home for specialized care.
However, this isn’t always the case. Before you move your loved one out of an assisted living facility, have a candid conversation with your loved one about what they feel is best for them.
If your loved one resides in an assisted living facility but has started to develop serious health complications, then it may be time to move your loved one to a nursing home. However, if your loved one has few or no severe health conditions and wishes to remain independent, then an assisted living facility is a better choice.
And if you’re interested in learning more about our assisted living facilities Sarasota FL, contact us today.