Assisted care facilities (also called assisted living facilities or ALFs) are facilities that offer alternatives to housing and healthcare for individuals who cannot adequately look after themselves and are dependent to other people for everyday basic care that cannot be provided to them in their own homes.
US $10.50
Assisted care facilities grow from the concept of assisted living that began in the 1990s primarily for elderlies who cannot live independently in their own homes or whose children cannot look after them. In the United States, an estimated 12 million people live in assisted care facilities. License and accreditation for these facilities are granted by the state where they operate.
As the term implies, individuals who enter assisted care facilities are still capable of some form of independence when taking care of themselves, thus, needing only some form of assistance from professional healthcare providers.
For instance, an elderly may still be able to live independently in terms of dressing or feeding himself but requires assistance in his daily medications. The scope or range of assistance vary depending on the case (basic like administering or monitoring prescription pills to full-range like 24-hour monitoring for residents with mentally- or psychologically-challenged residents suffering panic attacks, withdrawal phase or severe depression).
The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) requires that assisted care facilities offer a dignified environment that possess the natural characteristics of a community and a home. A licensed professional healthcare provider should also be present in a facility to supervise the clinical needs of the patient, like an in-house psychologist, nurse and caregiver.
