The Types of Long Term Care Facilities and Why it Matters – Part 1

Searching for care options for a loved one can be very confusing.  When you add to the mix the possibility that there may not be enough money to cover the cost of that care – in other words when government benefits such as Medicaid may be needed – it adds another element of complexity to that search.

As I have previously written, many people don’t recognize the difference between nursing homes and assisted living facilities and even sometimes independent facilities.  That is because there are many facilities that take in residents who need more than one type of care.  Sometimes there are two separate buildings on the same grounds.  Other times there may be one building with separate wings for the different types of care offered.

For example, in one location there might be a nursing home but also an assisted living facility.  It could also be that assisted living type care is offered as well as independent living.  Adding to the confusion may be that many people assume that a “memory care” unit, where residents who need higher levels of care reside, is a nursing home, probably because residents who reside there need nursing home level care.  These units, however, are located within an assisted living facility so actually are classified as such and not as nursing homes.

Understanding these distinctions and knowing what type of facility you are looking at matters – especially when considering the possibility of what happens when your loved one moves from one building to another if the desire is to stay on the same campus as care needs increase.  Next week I’ll explain what I mean.