Assisted Living
Assisted living is a broad term used to describe community living with supportive services. Services in assisted living facilities can vary greatly making It hard to compare one facility with another. Know want is expected in terms of cost. If an individual is using resources to supplement their income to pay for care, ask what happened with resources are exhausted? Some assisted livings expect residents to privately pay the entire time they are residents. Other facilities look for a period of private pay before accepting a negotiated rate or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) from the Social Security Administration (SSA) as payment in full for room & board.
New York State licenses and regulates all Adult Care Facilities (ACF). In this category are adult homes, enriched housing programs and residences for adults. Typically, these facilities provide rooms or apartments, meals, housekeeping, laundry, supervision, some assistance with personal care and medication management. Some provide transportation to medical appointments and scheduled shopping in the community. The cost of Assisted living is not covered by Medicare and only an Assisted Living Program (ALP) is partially covered by Medicaid.
Adult Home (AH) Is a broad term used to describe long-term residential care including meals, room and board, housekeeping, personal care, home care services, supervision and medication management for five or more adults.
Enriched Housing Program (EHP) Also provides long-term residential care for five or more adults in an apartment like setting. The program provides meals, room and board, housekeeping, personal care, home care services, meals, supervision and medication management for five or more adults.
Assisted Living Residence (ALR) Is a certified AH or EHP which has obtained additional licensure from the Department of Health (DOH) to operate as and ALR. Services included are room & board, 24/7 on-site monitoring, medication management, personal care services, home care services, meals, case management and development of an individual service plan (ISP).
Enhanced Assisted Living Residence (ELAR) Is a category under ALR, these facilities are certified to provide more care than a basic ALR. Residences can be admitted or retained if they need another person to help them walk, transfer, climb or descend stairs or operate medical equipment. Residents might need intermittent nursing care with things like eye drops, injections, catheter care, colostomy care, PRN medication administration, skilled observances which need to be reported to a physician,
dressing changes, and any other nursing service consistent with the Nurse Practice Act. Enhanced beds can “float” within a facility.
Special Needs Assisted Living Residence (SNALR) Is a category under ALR, these facilities are certified to provide care tailored to the needs of a specific populations, like residents with dementia. These settings provide a secure environment and specialized services to meet a resident’s needs.
Assisted Living Program (ALP) Is care provided in and AH or EHP facility which has obtained an additional license from the Department of Health (DOH) to provide care as an alternative to nursing home placement for some individuals. Services provided include room & board, meals, housekeeping, supervision, medication management, personal care, case management and home health services. The cost of personal care can be covered by Medicaid for qualified individuals.
It is important to remember assisted living may not be able to provide end of life care in all situations. If care needs cannot be safely met at this level assistance is provided to find the right residential setting, often at a higher level of care like a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)/nursing home.
Helpful Links
https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/1505.pdf
https://profiles.health.ny.gov/acf
https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Adult-Care-Facility-Directory/wssx-idhx