An assisted living residence is often called an assisted living facility or ALF. It is meant to help people who need assistance with some activities of daily living such as taking their medications at the correct dosage and time or taking a bath, but who do not need the 24-hour care they could receive at a nursing home. Texas licenses ALFs as personal care facilities. In Texas, a facility only needs to be licensed if it cares for more than four residents.

The 1980s saw some interesting trends in the United States. The population was aging, but also staying healthier for longer. Families were moving far away from each other, so that older people who did need assistance had no one nearby to help them. Many of these people resisted going to nursing homes because of the lack of privacy and the institutional atmosphere. Assisted living facilities, which modeled themselves more after apartment complexes than hospitals began to open their doors during the 1980s, and they immediately found a receptive audience.

ALFs currently provide homes to over 1 million United States residents. Of those, slightly less than half suffer from diseases that cause cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia. In Texas, there are currently 830 licensed personal care facilities and over 4000 facilities that are unlicensed.

Assisted living facilities offer residents a private apartment or room and three balanced meals per day. In addition, they provide help with common physical needs such as keeping track of medicines, showering or bathing, dressing, and toileting. Depending on the rules in each state, some facilities provide heavier care, such as helping people transfer from their bed to their wheelchair and even feeding residents.

Most facilities figure costs by charging a basic rental rate. They then add on “points” depending on how much assistance the resident requires. Each point costs extra money per month. For instance, a woman who lived in a studio apartment and only needed help with medications would pay less than a woman who lived in a studio apartment and needed help with medications, bathing, dressing, and eating.

In Austin, Texas, the average base cost to live in a personal care residence in $1500. When you include assistance with care, the cost rises to about $2000. This is still less than a skilled nursing facility which typically charges anywhere from $3000 to $4000 per month.

Although some 90% of ALF residents nation wide pay for their care out-of-pocket, Texas was one of the first two states to pass legislation allowing Medicaid to cover the cost of an assisted living residence through its Community-Based Alternatives program. This program helps over 20,000 Texans who would not be able to afford assisted living care otherwise.

Assisted living is not an appropriate care option for everyone. Those who live in an ALF must be able to comprehend emergency instructions (e. G., “Go out that door and wait for me on the sidewalk.”), and must be able to evacuate themselves from a dangerous situation such as a burning building. Assisted living is also not an appropriate option for anyone who requires 24/7 care and supervision nor is it a good choice for people who require invasive procedures, such as IV medications, as part of their care.

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