How to Find Assisted Livings That Offer High Quality Healthcare
For individuals coping with chronic illnesses or their concerned family members, locating the ideal support for health and independence can seem daunting. This article aims to serve as a helpful guide for those contemplating assisted living facility options.
Patients with chronic diseases often require additional assistance as they age, which may include support with meals, mobility, and disease management. Deciding it’s time to transition to an assisted living facility can be challenging. Typically individuals move to assisted living facilities when they find they need additional care, help remembering meals or medication, or a stronger sense of community.
In this article, we’ll delve into the differences in healthcare models among various types of facilities, how to evaluate the quality of healthcare at a facility, and the available healthcare options for individuals aged 65 and older.
How Many Seniors Reside in Assisted Living Facilities?
Approximately 2% of individuals aged 65 and above, or over 800,000 people in the United States, live in assisted living facilities. While a majority of seniors express a preference to age at home (77%, as reported by a recent survey), this can be challenging when family members live far away.
How Do Patients Access Healthcare in Assisted Living Facilities Compared to Other Settings?
Assisted living facilities offer a range of services, including medication management, vital sign monitoring, and implementation of physicians’ treatment plans. Patients in these facilities may either retain their existing doctors or, if relocating from out of state, choose a doctor or provider who conducts in-person visits to the facility. This differs from nursing homes or subacute rehab facilities, where there are often in-house physicians employed by the facility to oversee patient care.
The advantages of being under the care of doctors affiliated with assisted living facilities come from a number of reasons, but mostly due to the close relationship between administrators, nursing staff, patients, and affiliated doctor.
The benefits for patients of this arrangement include:
- Prompt access to healthcare services.
- Efficient communication between staff and healthcare providers.
- Immediate medication adjustments.
- The ability to receive care in one’s room, which is especially beneficial for patients with memory issues or disorientation when leaving their rooms or the facility.
- Advocacy of the doctor at the assisted living facility to other specialists and quick referrals.
Many of these providers have affiliations with nearby hospitals, granting them access to specialty care and the ability to recommend the best interventions for patients and their families. Collaborating closely with doctors affiliated with assisted living facilities offers numerous benefits, but it’s essential to weigh the pros and cons carefully. Working with a doctor at an assisted living facility can also mean that you or your loved ones may have to switch doctors, which can be challenging for those with longstanding relationships. Ultimately, the choice is a personal preference.
How Can I Tell if An Assisted Living Facility Has High Quality Care?
There are many considerations but one of the most important ones is keeping you or your loved one in optimal health as you age. All providers are not created equal. Here are some things you should ask:
- The level of experience of the provider (are they a fresh graduate or do they have significant clinical experience?)
- How often the provider will see your loved one
- The level of involvement in care – will they help coordinate care, make appointments, and ensure that the assisted living follows through with the treatment plan?
- The level of nurses to patients at assisted living facilities
- Any information they have about outcomes – what percentage of patients have been hospitalized recently? Are there any conditions they excel in (e.g. having memory care options or specialists than can come and see patients in the facility)
- Is vitals monitoring available?
How Can I Tell if An Assisted Living Facility Has High Quality Care?
The higher the involvement in care and the more wrap around services, vitals monitoring, and check ins by the medical team and facility with the family and patient, the higher the likelihood that the care at the facility is excellent. Assisted living directors should be able to provide examples of ways they interact with medical staff, and any ‘wins’ or ‘challenges’ they have had in advocating for their patients. Discussing the meal plans and understanding the amount of exercise and activities residents have access to are also extremely important.
Enabled Health is the premier medical service for assisted living patients serving Seattle, Spokane, and the Snohomish WA areas. We offer in person visits, telemedicine, telemonitoring, and chronic care management led by experienced physicians. Each patient is assigned a care manager who assists with scheduling appointments and discussing any needs with the family to act as a personal medical concierge for patients. Best of all, our service is billed through insurance and offered free or low cost to you and your family member.
