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What Happens When Assisted Living Is Not Enough?
Date Updated: July 26, 2024
Written by:
Rachel Lustbader is a writer and editor with a background in healthcare and technology. Her work has been published on websites including HealthCare.com, BiteSizeBio.com, BetterHelp.com, Caring.com, and PayingforSeniorCare.com. She studied health science and public health at Boston University.
Both of Rachel’s grandmothers had very positive experiences in senior living communities, and Rachel saw firsthand the impact that kind, committed caregivers and community managers can have on seniors’ and their family members’ lives. With her work at Caring, Rachel hopes to help other families find communities, caregivers, and at-home products that benefit elderly loved ones and make life less stressful for family caregivers
If an assisted living facility is unable to provide enough support for you or an elderly loved one, it may be time to consider bringing in external care providers or moving to a community that offers a higher level of care. Assisted living communities are for seniors who are generally in good health but require some support with the activities of daily living. Nursing homes and dementia care communities can offer higher levels of care for seniors with greater needs.
Many assisted living communities provide a continuum of care, either by having separate wings for residents who require more care or by offering assistance with transfers to a related provider. This helps reduce the stress of moving for those who decide to leave their assisted living community when their care needs increase.
Visiting Nurses Can Help Seniors Stay in a Familiar Setting
Seniors whose health care needs exceed the care their chosen assisted living facility can provide may be able to have visiting health care workers or specialists take care of them. This may be a good option for seniors who need help with diabetes management, wound care or other skilled nursing services on an ongoing basis but who don’t need 24/7 support.
Skilled Nursing and Dementia Care Services Offer Specialist Care
In cases where a senior’s health is deteriorating, or they’re living with dementia and require more cueing and supervision than assisted living community staff can provide, it may be time to look at increasing the level of care. If the community supports aging in place, moving from an assisted living apartment to a memory care or nursing wing is a relatively easy transition and means seniors can still stay close to their new friends and in a familiar environment.
Moving to a new facility may mean higher care costs. However, many seniors have to pay the cost of room and board when they’re in an assisted living facility but qualify to have more of their costs paid for via Medicaid when they’re receiving a nursing home level of care.
The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Can Address Concerns With Care Facilities
The Long-Term Care Ombudsman is responsible for addressing concerns about the health, welfare and safety of residents of long-term care facilities. If you’re concerned about the quality of care you or someone close to you is receiving at an assisted living community and you feel the community managers aren’t taking your concerns seriously, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman can act as a mediator and investigate any complaints you raise.