"PEACE OF MIND for assisted living residents and their families – that’s what a bill before the Massachusetts Legislature would deliver. What small changes could make such a big difference? A handful of non-invasive treatments that are simple yet highly consequential.
To understand the issue first requires understanding the model. Assisted living, which has been certified and regulated for 27 years in Massachusetts, is a special combination of residential and personalized support services designed to meet the needs—both scheduled and unscheduled—of those who require help with activities of daily living. Activities of daily living include tasks related to bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, and other similar personal care needs.
Different from a nursing home, assisted living is a distinctly non-medical setting. Every resident has a private living area and maintains their preferred level of independence. In addition, while every assisted living community has nurses on staff, the law prohibits them from providing any skilled care whatsoever to residents. In the cases where a resident needs care, he or she has the choice of having a family member administer it or arranging and paying separately for an outside provider."
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| Nurse and elderly man spending time together --- Image by © Jose Luis Pelaez, Inc./Blend Images/Corbis |
