Your state’s regulations for assisted living facilities (or a similar term) https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db91.htm https://www.gao.gov/pdf/product/689302 There is a lot to the assignment, some of the questions will only require a sentence or paragraph. Other questions may require a couple of paragraphs to address. Correct spelling and sentence structure are very important. One strategy is to have someone proofread your assignments. Do not simply copy the text material. Be sure to support any arguments with details and facts. Do not cut and paste regulatory language citations. Complete sentences are required in each written assignment. Licensing and Survey Process Pertaining to your state’s assisted living facilities specifically: Provide the weblink to your state assisted living regulations. What is the term(s) used for assisted living in your state? What are the requirements for admission? What are the mandated staff requirements? What training is mandated for staff? What are some terms used nationally to refer to the assisted living level of care? Please specify at least 3 terms. Does your state use one or more of these terms? If you were a new Administrator for an assisted living facility with a secured dementia unit, what would you need to know about the required regulations in your state? Does your dementia unit require any special staff training, specific resident monitoring devices, evaluation of residents to quality for the level of care, or any regulated physical plant layout? Outcomes Locate and evaluate your state’s regulations on assisted living facilities. Differentiate the staffing requirements for assisted living facilities according to your states regulations. State three different terms used nationally to describe the assisted living level of care. Lecture Notes Skilled nursing facilities (SNF) and nursing facilities (NF) have been the focus of this course. However, there are numerous other living arrangements in the continuum of long-term care. Assisted living facilities offer long-term care to individuals needing assistance. Terms like “foster care,” “boarding home,” “rest home,” “residential care,” or even “independent living” may be used interchangeably. It is essential that an administrator be aware of the terms used in his/her state. There is a lack of national standards and regulations in assisted living. Assisted living is an increasingly popular long-term care option. There is a vast array of services and settings. Assisted living may provide housing, 24-hour staffing, and services including assistance with bathing, personal care, dressing, housekeeping, meals, and medication administration. Many assisted living communities provide special services for people with dementia. Assisted living is often less expensive than the NF/SNF level of care. Most assisted living facilities will have 24-hour staffing. Employee educational, training, and age requirements vary widely for assisted living across the country. In some states, caregivers in an assisted living facility may be as young as 16 with little or no training. Other states require that the administrator have a college degree and experience in gerontology. By some regulations, a registered nurse must be on site at all times; in others, no registered nurse is required to be on site, just available on call. In facilities that serve residents suffering from dementia, elopement may be prevented by locked and protected units. Life safety regulations differ with each level of care. While some federal laws impact assisted living, the majority of oversight of assisted living occurs at the state level. According to the National Center for Assisted Living’s (NCAL’s) 2016 Assisted Living Regulatory Report, more than two-thirds of the states use the licensure term “assisted living” with the second most commonly used term being “residential care.” Other licensure terms include basic care facility, community residence, enriched housing program, home for the aged, personal care home, and shared housing establishment (National Center for Assisted Living, 2016). In 2010, there was federal government data from the first national survey of assisted living/residential care facilities (CDC, 2010). This study found that in 2010, there were 31,100 facilities with 971,900 licensed beds serving 733,400 residents. Thirty-seven percent of residents were receiving assistance with three or more ADLs, and 42 percent had dementia. Only 19 percent of residents received Medicaid funding. Many of these facilities do not offer services beyond a room or apartment space to maintain their current level of functioning. Some do offer programs to maintain or advance the functional status of their residents. Assisted living environments are not qualified to receive Medicare part A reimbursement. Often residents of assisted living access Medicare-covered services such as home health, hospice, and restorative therapy from a community-based health care provider while living in assisted living. The federal government may be faced with the task of regulating these facilities as the life span of older Americans increases. The physical environment in assisted living facilities varies widely from a shared room with beds for each resident to large apartments with kitchens and private bathrooms. The fees charged represent and reflect the size and atmosphere of each facility. Some assisted living facilities are licensed to accept Medicaid, and others accept only private pay residents. Dining and meal availability to residents in assisted living facilities is an important component of care, particularly for socialization and nutrition. Family-style dining may be in place, the facility may have restaurant-style dining, or residents may need to make their own meals. Local health departments or other regulatory bodies will inspect the communal food service facilities, which may require special food service establishment licensure and must meet a local/state-specific set of rules/criteria. Many of the issues covered in previous units, such as residents’ rights, abuse and neglect, informed consent, and end of life issues, are implemented in each facility. Students preparing for a career in long-term care are advised to seek out the regulations for each level of care in their state. References CDC. Residents Living in Residential Care Facilities: United States, 2010. Retrieved July 14, 2013. National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL). (2016, October). Assisted Living 2016 State Regulatory Review. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
