Many people assume arcadia gardens assisted living as another type of nursing home because both communities offer senior care services. However, they are different in the service they provide.
Difference between Assisted Living and Nursing Home
The major difference between assisted living and a nursing home is that the former promotes an independent and socially active lifestyle for seniors. And, the latter focuses on offering long-term medical services. Assisted living arcadia will be the best living community for seniors who need assistance in their daily activities. While nursing homes will be the best living communities for seniors suffering from chronic health conditions. Furthermore, nursing homes provide extensive medical care services so they are more expensive in comparison to assisted living communities.
What are Assisted Living and Nursing Homes?
Assisted living is a caring community for seniors who need assistance in their daily activities such as bathing, laundry, cooking, housekeeping, and medication, management. The environment in the community promotes an independent, social, and active lifestyle. Moreover, seniors have the opportunity to maintain their privacy.
On the other hand, nursing homes are care community that provides extensive medical care services to seniors. This community offers medical assistance and monitors those seniors who need high levels of care. And, those seniors suffering from physical or cognitive health conditions may not require 24/7 nursing.
Assisted Living and Nursing Homes Comparison
Services provided by the assisted living communities promote a healthy, socially active, independent lifestyle. And yes, nursing homes too, focus on these areas. What makes them different is that nursing homes provide extensive medical care services to elders suffering from chronic health conditions which are unavailable in assisted living communities.
Moreover, nursing homes have many medically trained nurses. So, if your elders are suffering from a chronic health condition then choosing nursing homes will be the best choice for your elders as they have many skilled professionals to assist them in case any emergency conditions occur.
However, the staffs in assisted living are also well trained in taking care of seniors but they may not be certified medically. The followings are the services and amenities provided by the assisted living. They are as follows:
- Laundry, housekeeping, and maintenance
- Medication management and assistance with their daily activities
- Activities to keep the seniors active, healthier, and engage
- Day Out and transportation
- Apartments with attached bathrooms and kitchen
- Happy hours and restaurant-style dining
Whereas, the followings are the services you can find in a nursing home. They are as follows:
- Emergency services
- Dental services
- Palliative and long-term preventative care
- Rehabilitative services such as respiratory, physical, cognitive, vocational, speech, and occupational therapy
- Administer medication including injections
- Planned meals based on the nutritional requirements of each senior
- Safety and security benefits such as accessible spaces and doorway alarms
Ways to determine the best choice between assisted living and a nursing home
Assisted living is beneficial to seniors who need assistance in their daily activities. While a nursing home is beneficial to seniors suffering from chronic health conditions. So, the followings are some of the ways that can help you in determining the best living community for your elders.
Assisted living will be the best option if your elders:
- Needs only minor nursing
- Is active and needs assistance only in daily activities
- Desire to make new friends and socialize
- Lives an active life but has no access to transportation
- Prefers to maintain a free and independent life
A nursing home will be the best option if your elders:
- Has mobility problems
- Is suffering from progressive health conditions such as multiple sclerosis, dementia, or Parkinson’s disease
- Is relying on others for every activity including eating
- Needs significant rehabilitation
- Requires assistance for regular administration of injections or prescription medicines
- Has a deteriorating health condition