What is the Difference Between a Nursing Home and an Assisted Living Facility?

We often get phone calls from potential clients about poor care in certain facilities. Sometimes the caller thinks the facility is a nursing home when in fact it is an assisted living facilities. Oftentimes the owners of these facilities give their facilities different names. These names can be very confusing in terms of the nature of these facilities. Further, within these facilities there are often different units. The names of these units can also be very confusing. Some facilities have what are called "memory care units".

In Ohio, the definition of a nursing home is such that many of these assisted living facilities would arguably be considered nursing homes under the law. However, at an assisted living facility, there is a very different level of care provided.

One of the most important things that you can do if you are considering admitting your loved one into a facility is to be very clear about the level of care that is provided. For the most part, if your loved one cannot walk safely on their own and/or cannot be left unattended, they are probably not a good candidate for an assisted living facility. Unlike a nursing home, residents at assisted living facilities are frequently left on their own. Typically at an assisted living facility, the residents receive help with meals, the staff make sure they're taking their medications. The residents can get assistance with bathing. However, they are not provided with around the clock care.

Nursing homes are required to provide their residents with a safe environment. They are also required to provide their residents with adequate supervision to prevent accidents. However, if you admit your loved one into an assisted living facility, even if there is an argument that such a facility qualifies as a nursing home, if you are not offered constant supervision and/or around the clock care, it may be difficult if not impossible to prove that the facility was negligent for not providing your loved one with around the clock care. Therefore, it is very important to ask the people that you talk with at the new facility, what level of care you can expect. Will somebody monitor your loved one?

It's also very important that you honestly and accurately evaluate your loved one's capabilities. As our loved ones get older it may be hard to admit their limitations. Many clients call us, and they're assessment of their loved one is not really accurate. They have a hard time accepting their loved one's limitations. We do not like to acknowledge that our loved ones are getting older. We do not like to acknowledge that their capacities may be diminishing. Their mental faculties may be changing. Their physical abilities may be changing. We do not like to accept that they are getting older. This is completely natural. However, it is really important, when admitting someone you love into a nursing home or an assisted living facility to be really clear about what they can and cannot do. Can they get up in the middle of the night and walk to the bathroom on their own safely? Or are they at risk for falling?

Falls are a very serious problem. An elderly person who suffers an orthopedic fracture has a less than 50% chance of living for a year after that fracture. Fractures put people at risk. They lead to hospitalizations which put people at risk. A person who has suffered a fracture runs the risk of infection. If they suffer a fracture and this adversely affects their mobility, they run the risk of pneumonia. A person who's mobility has been limited by a fracture is then at risk for skin breakdown and bed sores. Fractures have a number of very serious consequences. Therefore, it is really important to try to prevent fractures in every way possible.

One of the things that we see often at The Dickson Firm are individuals who are in facilities that are not suitable for them. The facilities do not offer a high enough level of care. We were recently contacted about Heritage Senior Living in Marysville, Ohio, located at 1565 London Avenue in Marysville, Ohio. We were contacted by a caller who had grave concerns about the level of care being provided at Heritage Senior Living in Marysville, Ohio. Heritage Senior Living in Marysville, Ohio offers an independent living section. This would provide the least amount of care. They offer housekeeping and transportation. But as the name implies, this is for people who are very capable. They also have an assisted living section with different levels. Level 1 of their assisted living is for residents who are mostly independent but may need reminders from time to time. They offer a low level of supervision. They also offer Level 2 for residents who need additional help. They also offer a Level 3 for residents who have impairments. They also have a memory care unit for those individuals experiencing dementia or memory loss. However, Heritage Senior Living in Marysville, Ohio is not a nursing home. They are not staffed like a nursing home. And none of the units at this facility are suitable for someone who truly needs nursing home care.

Therefore, if you are facing the decision to place a loved one in a facility so they can receive additional help, it is really important that you are accurate and objective about their needs. Talk with their doctor. Consider what you have observed. It's also really important that you do your independent research. These facilities make a great deal of money. And as a result, they actively work with a lot of different people to encourage those individuals to refer residents to them. They work with social workers at various hospitals. They work with other professionals who encounter seniors to encourage them to refer those seniors to their facility. They also work very hard to appear like competent facilities that offer quality care. Tragically this is not always the case. As a result, it's very important that you look into, as much as possible, the true capabilities of these facilities and their history of patient care.

If someone you love has been neglected or abused in a nursing home or an assisted living facility, please call us at The Dickson Firm at 1-800-OHIO LAW as we would be happy to talk with you and help you in any way that we can.