What Disqualifies Someone From Assisted Living?

A variety of serious health conditions and the need for specialized care can disqualify someone from assisted living. Examples include severe dementia, infections, gastronomy care, feeding tubes and tracheotomies. The goal of assisted living is to support seniors with the activities of daily living, so older adults needing a higher level of care would find a better fit in skilled nursing or memory care communities.

While it varies by community, the average required age for entry to an assisted living facility is 55 to 65 years of age. Seniors must need help with at least two activities of daily living, which include tasks such as bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, toileting and managing medications. Assisted living is also appropriate for seniors who need some rehabilitative services, including physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy. Assisted living is contraindicated for older adults who require 24-hour supervision or extensive medical care. Assisted living is a private-pay option, so those who can’t afford the monthly fees may be directed elsewhere.

Assisted living is inappropriate for seniors who require around-the-clock supervision and support. While assisted living residents receive help with the activities of daily living, they can’t require help 24 hours a day. In assisted living communities, seniors are largely self-sufficient and can come and go as they like; those with ongoing medical needs won’t be able to receive the level of care they need. Assisted living communities can’t accept seniors who:

• Need feeding tubes
• Have serious infections
• Need gastronomy care
• Have tracheostomies

These conditions require extensive around-the-clock medical care that assisted living communities can’t provide. A nursing home provides 24-hour care to seniors with these conditions.

Those in the later stages of memory loss may tend to wander or have behavioral issues, and assisted living communities are often unable to accommodate these individuals. Those prone to wandering need to reside in a secure community with the appropriate safety features, such as pull cords, pendants, keypad entry and security systems. These features generally are available in memory care. Seniors with Alzheimer’s or other dementias can benefit from the specialized programming and highly trained staff that a memory care community provides, not assisted living.