Before making the big decision of moving your elderly parent or relative to an assisted living care facility, you have to get to know the pre-requisites first before moving them in. As there are tons of assisting living facilities in the US, there are also assisted living requirements that you must adhere to and it varies by state.
What Is Assisted Living and The Services They Provide
Before we delve into assisted living requirements and the things you need to do before the big move, let’s talk about assisted living and how they can help the elderly, and the types of services they offer.
Facilities that offers assisted living services are also known as congregate housing, boarding home, domiciliary care, adult congregate care, or residential care. These types of facilities provide care to individuals who are 18 years of age or older. Individuals admitted to assisted living care often needs assistance with daily living activities such as personal care, hygiene, bathing, grooming, self-feeding and dressing.
Average Length of Stay in Assisted Living
According to a 2009 report by a group of advocacy and research organizations, it is estimated that an assisted living resident’s average length of stay is usually around 28 months. Separate research conducted by the National Investment Center (NIC) in their 2010 Investment guide cited the average length of stay as 29 months. After reaching the average length of stay required, a resident will then be moved to a nursing facility for a higher level of care. This only applies to individuals that require more care.
Things You Should Know About Assisted Living in Florida
Determining financial eligibility, the state of Florida considers both income and assets. In 2018, individuals were limited to $2,500 in monthly income and not exceeding $2000 in qualifying assets. Florida offers 3 licenses that allow ALF’s to increase the scope of care they are eligible to provide.
• Extended Congregate Care (ECC) – Qualifies ALF’s to provide complete personal care assistance and additional nursing services.
• Limited Nursing Services (LNS) – Qualifies facilities to provide additional care by licensed nurses within the scope of their profession.
• Limited Mental Health (LMH) – Qualifies ALF’s to provide limited mental health services that adhere to a community support plan created with the resident and his or her case manager.
Low-income seniors can apply for SMMC LTC (Florida Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care) program. The following requirements to qualify for the program are as follow:
• Be at least 65 years old or more than 18 years old with an SSA approved disability
• Must be a legal resident of the state of Florida
• Meet Florida Medicaid financial eligibility requirements
• Require a ‘nursing facility level of care’ based on an in-person exam.
Finding the Right Assisted Living Facility in Boynton Beach
Assisted living requirements differ greatly depending on what state you are in. for more information about assisted living requirements and services in Boynton Beach facilities, call Courtyard Gardens Senior Living facility at (561) 568-4849 now!
