We have become all too familiar with nursing homes. Families in the United States usually move their elderly loved ones to a nursing home for a long-term or permanent rehabilitation service. However, in 1990s, assisted living facilities were born giving the elderly and their families a better option. Assisted living facility is referred to different names in different states. It is also known as senior housing in Colorado while other states refer to it as retirement living home, adult living facility, elderly care housing, among others.

Nursing home is a skilled care facility for senior citizens who need 24-hour medical attention. This is for elderly with chronic medical conditions who needs and requires round-the-clock skilled care, long-term attention, and also for short-term recovering patients after being discharged from the hospital.

On the other hand, assisted living residence is for seniors who cannot independently live in their homes, who need assistance in their daily living activities and would want to grow old in an environment that provides a warm, peaceful, and safe home environment with new and balanced lifestyle and socialization, thus, allowing them to nurture new friendships with other residents and subsequently improve their physical, mental and emotional condition.

Nursing homes typically provide room and board, meals, skilled nursing and personal care, and medication management services, and social and recreational activities for their residents. While senior housing offers long term elderly care and assisted living guidelines which includes the following services: Care management and monitoring, help with activities of daily living, housekeeping and laundry, medication management, recreational activities, security, transportation, and two or more meals per day.

Nursing home long-term patients are being assisted in multiple daily activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, transferring in and out of chairs or bed, and the like. These also include residents with cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. Nursing homes provide a secure environment and an array of services to meet the physical, medical, and social needs of their residents.

Assisted living residents only needs assistance with meal preparation, activities of daily living (ADL), medication support and household chores, and/or require supervision due to a cognitive impairment related to disorders such as mild Alzheimer’s.

More than 50% of the nursing home residents were women, and 14% were under 65 years old. The average age of a nursing home resident is 86 years old (Source: US Census Bureau 2007). While more than 900,000 Americans live in approximately 39,500 senior care homes in the country. The average age of a senior living care resident is 85 years old and the average length of stay is roughly 27 months.

Lastly, the average daily cost for assisted living is still less than half the average daily cost for a private room in a nursing home. The average rate for a semi-private room has increased by 1.1% from $189 daily (in 2007) to $191 daily (in 2008) while the average assisted living rate has increased by 2.1% from $2,969 monthly (or approximately $98 daily in 2007) to $3,031 monthly (or approximately $101 daily in 2008). The average rate for a private room in an Alzheimer’s wing is $219 and $198 for a semi-private room in the same wing. Rates vary by region and depending on the number of services included.

Quality of Life - the key difference between living at home and living in an assisted living home.