What is the Difference Between Assisted Living & Nursing Homes?

As you or a loved one age, the daily tasks associated with living at home may become more difficult to handle.

Whether it’s help with cooking, cleaning, or basic personal care and medication management, it’s common to need more assistance as we age. As a result, a variety of senior living options exist. However, all the options are not created equal.

As you research the different senior living options, it’s important to learn the details about each and understand the key differences between assisted living and nursing home care.

This article is designed to help you do just that. We will go over the key factors that differentiate assisted living versus nursing homes as well as provide some relevant questions that can help you decide which option will work best for you or your loved one.

What is Assisted Living?

Assisted living is a type of community-based, long-term care option that, according to the National Institute on Aging, is characterized by its focus on residential life, rather than a medical care-based facility.

Residents in an assisted living community often need some help with tasks like cooking, cleaning, driving to medical appointments, and managing their medications, but they are still able to live active, independent lives. For example, residents in assisted living communities often live in apartments where they can cook in their own kitchens, but they also receive weekly housekeeping services.

Assisted living communities can range in size from a few dozen residents to a hundred or more and offer a variety of services, usually presented as “levels.” The most common services offered at assisted living communities are restaurant or cafeteria-based meal preparation, housekeeping and laundry services, medication management, group transportation, and social/recreational activities, such as classes, clubs, and games.

What Are Nursing Homes?

In contrast, nursing homes are more medically oriented, which is why it is also referred to as skilled nursing facilities. Nursing homes are characterized by the higher level of care and supervision provided as compared to assisted living communities. For those who need greater levels of care, nursing homes are an appropriate solution because it provides a wide range of both personal and medical assistance for residents who are unable to perform these actions in an independent living environment. For example, this may include around-the-clock supervision and nursing care along with prepared meals and direct assistance with everyday functions like bathing and dressing.

Nursing homes also offer residents therapies to help them recover from illnesses or injuries. This may include physical, occupational, and speech therapy services. In some cases, residents will stay at a nursing home for only a short period following hospitalization before returning to their homes or an assisted living community.

How to Know What Senior Living Option is Best for You or a Loved One

Choosing the right community-based, long-term care option for yourself or someone you love can be overwhelming. However, the specific criteria for assisted living versus nursing homes can help you determine which option is the best fit.

These criteria are based on personal health and the level of daily assistance needed. Here are a few questions to ask that may help you choose between assisted living or nursing home living:

• How much help does the resident need to perform common daily activities, such as dressing, bathing, toileting, and eating?
• Does the resident have any serious medical conditions requiring daily around-the-clock care or multiple conditions requiring such care?
• Can the resident cook and prepare meals independently?
• Is the resident experiencing mobility impairment, including increased falls, slips, sprains, and broken bones? Are you concerned about their ability to get out of bed unassisted, for example?

Your answers to these questions can point you in the right direction as you consider the right choice between assisted living and nursing home living. However, it’s also important to discuss care options with the staff at each community as well as your – or your loved ones, primary care doctor before making any final decisions.

Schedule a Tour at Judson Meadows’ Assisted Living Community

If you are interested in an assisted living community in New York’s Capital District, then Judson Meadows may be the right choice. Located on 48 acres in picturesque Glenville, New York, we offer an enhanced assisted living environment that allows seniors to age in place. Call to schedule a tour and discuss our levels of assisted living options today.