Assisted Living is a service for people who need help with the activities of daily living (ADLs). Assisted living facilities are special facilities that span the gap between independent living and nursing homes. These facilities may be temporary or long-term housing. They are especially designed to help seniors who are mostly independent but need help with some of the day-to-day activities. This can include transportation, assistance with medications, preparing meals/eating, bathing, dressing, housekeeping and getting to the doctor's office.

Assisted living facilities usually offer immediate access to emergency help. Most facilities include a pull cord or locket based alarm system that can alert the staff if one of the residents falls or has some other emergency. This safety alert system can minimize the damage from a fall, stroke and other health event because help is only a few minutes away.

Here is a comparison of Assisted, Independent and Nursing Home Care

To get a quick understanding of the different levels of self care, just look at the kitchens (the ability to make food for yourself) in these facilities.

In a nursing home, there is NO kitchen

Here is a typical assisted living facility (my dad's) kitchen:

Assisted Living facilities also have advantages because of the social interaction between residents. When comparing an assisted living facility to living at home with in-home care, the assisted living facility has a much higher level of socialization. Since most meals are served in a cafeteria for food service area, residents are exposed to their neighbors much more than they would be living at home. Most assisted living facilities also have a activities director that organizes special advance for residents. This can range from group outings to Wal-Mart, to a night at the theater.

Assistant Living facilities also have another advantage. Most facilities include some level of both physical and mental health programs or rehab services. This is especially critical for seniors that need to have activities available in order to help rebuild their physical or mental abilities or maintain their existing condition. For many seniors, the goal, while in assisted living, is to regain their health and get better back to a more independent living arrangement.

Other common names for assisted living facilities include adult foster care, retirement residences, adult living facilities, domiciliary care, adult congregate living care, residential care, sheltered housing and community based retirement facilities.

Here is quick video created by ALFA about assisted living:

Below are some links to page for more information about assisted living in each state. Our directory includes information about Alabama Assisted Living Facilities , Alaska Assisted Living Facilities , Arizona Assisted Living Facilities , Arkansas Assisted Living Facilities , California Assisted Living Facilities , Colorado Assisted Living Facilities , Connecticut Assisted Living Facilities , Delaware Assisted Living Facilities , Florida Assisted Living Facilities , Georgia Assisted Living Facilities , Hawaii Assisted Living Facilities , Idaho Assisted Living Facilities , Illinois Assisted Living Facilities , Indiana Assisted Living Facilities , Iowa Assisted Living Facilities , Kansas Assisted Living Facilities , Kentucky Assisted Living Facilities , Louisiana Assisted Living Facilities , Maine Assisted Living Facilities Maryland Assisted Living Facilities , Massachusetts Assisted Living Facilities , Michigan Assisted Living Facilities , Minnesota Assisted Living Facilities , Mississippi Assisted Living Facilities , Missouri Assisted Living Facilities , Nebraska Assisted Living Facilities , Nevada Assisted Living Facilities , New Hampshire Assisted Living Facilities , New Jersey Assisted Living Facilities , New York Assisted Living Facilities , North Carolina Assisted Living Facilities , Ohio Assisted Living Facilities , Oklahoma Assisted Living Facilities , Oregon Assisted Living Facilities , Pennsylvania Assisted Living Facilities , Rhode Island Assisted Living Facilities , South Carolina Assisted Living Facilities , Tennessee Assisted Living Facilities , Texas Assisted Living Facilities , Utah Assisted Living Facilities , Vermont Assisted Living Facilities , Virginia Assisted Living Facilities , Washington State Assisted Living Facilities , West Virginia Assisted Living Facilities and Wisconsin Assisted Living Facilities .