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What Kind of Assistance Is Included in Assisted Living?

If you’ve just started looking into assisted living services, you probably have a fair number of questions. That’s totally understandable: After all, you don’t research assisted care every day. People generally don’t learn about levels of care until they need it for themselves or for someone they care about. At that point, they need immediate answers and solutions.

So we’re providing thoughtful answers to six often-asked questions about assisted living services. These go beyond “What is assisted living?” — though we’ll answer that too. We’ll help you understand the value of assisted living, give you an idea of the cost of assisted living care, list typical assisted living services and amenities you may find at an assisted living community, and more.

Let’s start with the obvious question.

What is assisted living?

Assisted living is essentially what the name suggests: A community that provides assistance with a resident’s particular Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) so that individual may continue to live as independently as possible.

ADLs are generally considered to be the six skills required to manage basic physical needs:

  • Bathing and grooming — ability to bathe and groom oneself, brush teeth, comb hair, etc.
  • Getting dressed — selecting appropriate clothes for the weather; putting clothes on and fastening, zipping or buttoning clothes; tying shoes
  • Toileting — sitting down and rising from the toilet, using it appropriately, washing hands
  • Ambulating — ability to walk about independently and move from one place to another
  • Getting into and out of bed or a chair
  • Eating — ability to feed oneself; this doesn’t include shopping for or preparing food

Learning how a person is able to perform each of these six ADLs can help determine whether that person would benefit from receiving daily assisted care.

Does assisted living mean independence is taken away?

Short answer: No. Longer answer: The whole intention behind assisted living services is to provide residents with the personalized care they need so they can continue to live as independently as possible. Some assisted living residents continue to do all the things they would as an independent living resident. They drive on their own, remain very active socially, stay engaged with intellectual pursuits or with their hobbies, exercise regularly in the fitness center, visit with friends and neighbors over dinner. Often the only thing that changes in their lives is the extra amount of care and attention they receive from a professional nursing staff member.

What are some typical assisted living services and amenities?

Typical assisted living services extend to the assisted living resident’s private apartment and include:

  • Housekeeping
  • Laundry and linen service
  • all interior and exterior maintenance provided
  • 3 nutritious meals prepared for them daily
  • 24-hour supervised care
  • scheduling services for doctor appointments

Assisted living amenities can vary widely from one community to another. But there may be amenities like an indoor and outdoor pool, beauty salon and barbershop, pleasantly landscaped outdoor walking paths, terraces, courtyards and gardens, creative arts studio, fitness center, multiple dining venues such as a dining room, café and bistro, and much more.

Are there activities for residents to take part in and enjoy?

Most assisted living communities have a monthly calendar of activities residents may participate in, if they so choose. Often, activities and events are dictated by the interests and preferences of residents, though there’s usually a full-time activities director who will develop the community’s programming. A monthly calendar may have multiple activities happening on any given day: shopping excursions and outings to local points of interest; live music and ice cream socials; book clubs and yes, bingo. Some communities even have Happy Hours. There’s something for every resident.

What do assisted living services generally cost?

A financial solutions company called Genworth has been tracking the cost of care in America since 2004. What Genworth found for 2020 is that the average assisted living facility in the United States cost $53,148 a year — or $4,429 a month. That’s an almost 80% increase in costs since Genworth began tracking 16 years ago. And that figure can be higher or lower, depending on what state in which you live.

Learn About the Benefits at Artis Senior Living

Most caregivers will tell you it’s peace of mind. It can be emotionally, financially and physically overwhelming to care for a loved one on your own. Choosing an Artis Senior Living community means you have a supportive partner in care for the person you love. You also have compassionate and highly trained professionals available for your loved one 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you’re wondering what assisted living is like at an Artis Senior Living community, we encourage you to reach out to us at any time. We can answer all your questions and help you find a community close to you that’s right for you and your loved one.

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