There are various types of assisted care facilities depending on the services provided and the nature of residents it caters to.
These include Independent Living (residential housing alternative for those requiring minimal or no assistance) and Congregate Housing (provides basic support services like food, transportation and housekeeping). Most of these facilities offer short-term accommodation from one to six months at the most primarily because after the prescribed length of stay, most residents are eager to go back to their homes and lead normal, independent lives.
But there are also long term care facilities beyond six months for individuals who need more time to recuperate from an injury, illness, surgery or trauma. The elderly, invalids or handicap who cannot receive adequate in-home living support and those whose families cannot afford to pay regular private nursing care also find alternative in long term residential care facilities.
Long term care facilities also vary depending on the case of the residents and the level and type of care needed. Some function as residential clinical facilities for residents who cannot be left alone on their own and require 24-hour monitoring, full-scale personal assistance and nursing care. They include those with physical, psychological or mental illness.
Long term care facilities may also be in the form of nursing homes, catering to seniors with limitations on mobility, physiological functions like urinating and memory gaps.
However, not all residents of long term care facilities suffer from extreme dependency. There are those who, due to lack of a willing relative to provide regular healthcare support or lack of money to pay for a short-term intensive care facility opt to stay in long-term care facilities instead.
