The Differences Between Assisted Living and a Nursing Home

Although many people use these two terms interchangeably, there is an important difference between the type of care that an individual can expect from an assisted living facility in comparison to a nursing home. This distinction is critical to understand because it can help to influence decisions that you and your loved ones make about the future.

What Does Assisted Living Mean?

Assured Assisted Living is one of many facilities across the country that offers individuals an opportunity to still live independently within a safe environment that is attune to their unique needs. Many aging adults will need help at some point or another to complete routine tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and other regular maintenance around the home. Performing these tasks alone can be very dangerous, as our bodies are not able to handle certain activities as well as they once did.

Residents of an assisted living community have the benefit of a wealth of resources all around them to help achieve everyday goals. Such resources include friendly staff members, and expertly designed housing options in addition to common areas that were all built with your capabilities in mind. In most homes you would normally worry about falls and other accidents happening whereas in our community all of those factors have been limited to prevent as many injuries as possible.

Living in an assisted living facility is much the same as living in your own home. All of our units are built to offer residents plenty of space that they can customize to their personal preferences and liking, making it into a home all their own.

Transitioning To a Nursing Home

It is generally recommended that individuals first move to an assisted living facility. Once such a facility is no longer able to accommodate their growing needs for daily care, it may be time to consider moving into a nursing home.

The purpose of a nursing home is to provide comprehensive care that addresses every facet of an elderly individual’s life. Many nursing home residents require more attention than assisted living communities typically provide. This can include anything from dressing in the morning to needing a steady hand to help you into bed at night, and everything in between. Due to these many extra services offered around the clock by nursing homes, they tend to come at a higher monthly cost than most assisted living facilities.

Senior Living Options for Those with Dementia

Of course, not every individual will experience the same difficulties as they age. An estimated 10% of all seniors over the age of 65 have some form of dementia, which is a memory disorder that gradually worsens over time. One of the most common forms of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.

Many assume that their Alzheimer’s will prohibit them from joining an assisted living community, but this is not the case. At Assured Assisted Living, we actually specialize in delivering residents with various forms of dementia a high level of appropriate care. Our facilities are comprised of expert staff members who are trained to work with individuals with memory impairment, which helps to limit frightening episodes of forgetfulness that so many people with dementia often encounter.

Research has shown that regular social engagement can help to improve both physical and mental wellbeing, which is why we not only provide assistance with basic everyday tasks, but we also offer a wide array of programs and activities for residents to participate in.

For more information about Assured Assisted Living, please visit our website or call (303) 814-2688 today. One of our care managers would be more than happy to provide you with additional details about our community and the many benefits we offer to those living near Denver, Colorado