Are you wondering if assisted living is better than a nursing home? Choosing between assisted living or a nursing home for a loved one who needs more care than you can provide at home is a difficult one.
We are here to help you to make a better decision and decide what would be the best fit for your loved one, as it can be a difficult one.
Comparing both types of care and the costs that are associated with both, and comparing the strengths and the weaknesses, it will be easier for you to decide what would be the right choice.
Differences Between Assisted Living And Nursing Homes
The biggest difference between assisted living and nursing homes is that nursing homes will provide medical and personal care in a clinical setting, and assisted living provides personal care in a residential setting.
Assisted living promotes an independent lifestyle, and some medical needs cannot be met in assisted living, but for quality of life and lifestyle, assisted living facilities are often preferred over nursing homes.
Are Assisted Living Homes Considered Nursing Homes?
There is a difference between assisted living and nursing homes or skilled nursing homes, but an assisted living facility takes care of senior citizens, just like a nursing home does.
Both types of homes will provide senior care, and provide room and board, with meals included, but assisted living homes are in a residential environment, whereas the nursing home is in a medical setting.
Is Assisted Living Better Than A Nursing Home?
Generally speaking, seniors who live in assisted living homes, are in better health than the seniors in nursing homes.
Some assisted living homes will offer memory care for seniors with cognitive difficulties, but in nursing homes, the seniors will need a higher level of medical attention.
Nursing homes deal with chronic illnesses, or some seniors are in the nursing home on a short stay, as they are recovering from an illness or hospitalization.
The assisted living facility is not better than a nursing home facility, they both provide senior care, but nursing homes help seniors with greater medical needs.
Assisted Living V Nursing Homes
The type of services assisted living provides is assistance with personal care and daily activities and medical management.
Nursing homes help with personal care and daily activities, medical management, and administration of skilled nursing and other medical treatments.
Assisted living will have extensive activities, meals, laundry, transportation, and field trips with supervision.
Nursing homes will have limited recreational activities, as the seniors are not as active, they will also have meals, housekeeping, laundry, and supervision.
Assisted Living In A Residential Setting
In assisted living, they are in a residential setting and will have shared and private rooms or apartments. Some will have private bathrooms and kitchens. Assisted living will have large common living areas, as it is designed for social interaction.
Nursing homes are in a more clinical setting, they will also have private or shared rooms or apartments, but they are not designed for social interaction, so there will be limited social areas.
In assisted living communities, the residents do require some personal care, but they can still live an independent lifestyle. Seniors who have dementia or Alzheimer’s do well in assisted living with memory care.
Seniors in nursing homes require extensive care and supervision, they will need assistance with their mobility and will require daily medical care. Nursing homes help seniors with severe cognitive impairments.
Costs
The cost of assisted living homes will vary from state to state and from location to location, it will all depend on the level of care that you want, and the lifestyle that you want, there are luxury assisted living communities.
But the general cost for assisted living is about $4,000 per month, and memory care will start at $5,200.
Nursing homes are more expensive, as the level of care that is needed is more intense, the average nursing home will start at $7,500.
What Is The Right Fit
For seniors who need to visit hospitals frequently, and have some health issues, then a nursing home might be the better fit, as it is designed to be more focused on the medical aspects for seniors.
Seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s, do not necessarily need to be in a nursing home, many assisted living home provide memory care, and socialization also helps seniors with all forms of dementia.
For seniors who still want to live a more independent life, and enjoy the social aspect of communal living, then assisted living is an excellent choice.
Here at Loving Assisted Living, we are here to help you with all of your senior living needs, we can help you to find the right home for your loved one, contact us today, and we can help you.