Quote:
Originally Posted by Peggy D
What is the difference between Independent Living Facility and Assisted Living Facility?
I guess I really want to know is an Independent facility equipt to handle such an emergency--do the have oxygen?
If this person was breathing (but not well) rescue breathing should have been started or oxygen. Totally inexcusable for what the nurse did--or didn't do.
Very sad.
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An Independent Living Community provides a meal plan, housekeeping services, activities, transportation, and a secure environment for people who want these services yet remain generally able to care for themselves day to day; or who need some lower level of assistance but receive this from an outside contracted caregiver. An Independent Living is not licensed to provide personal care to residents. It does provide a safe atmosphere with the amenities of daily living and usually costs less than Assisted Living because no direct personal care is offered or provided.
An Assisted Living provides everything an Independent Living offers except it has a range of personal care services that are paid for depending on how much is needed. There are "levels" of care that have a point system and monetary cost associated with them. An Assisted Living may also have a Memory Care community within the building but separate and secure for individuals with alzheimers or dementia. Care costs can be anywhere from hundreds to thousands of extra dollars on top of the monthly rent fee depending on the needs of the person. Most of the Assisted Livings in our area are private pay which means that Medicaid does not cover the care of the person nor does Medicare. There are some, and I do not know where they are, that accept Medicaid and they are not usually as elegant as the private pay but can provide excellent care- a person must be financially eligible. The beauty of the building does not equate to good care. You need to be diligent in asking questions to evaluate excellence.
Some Assisted Living/Memory Care communities provide higher levels of care depending on how they are licensed. However, they do not administer oxygen-that is what 911 does. Assisted Livings are not hospitals-they can help with the activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, mobility, eating, toileting and medication management. Some may do more. They are care communities, not medical communities. Staff are usualy all trained in CPR.
A Nursing Home is a Medical model with 24 hour nursing staff and doctors who see residents.
I would expect that no individual Independent or Assisted Living community would make a policy such as not to administer CPR without corporate approval, so it will be of most interest to see if the corporate office knew about this building's policy or if this was something that was unique to the community and unknown to the headquarters where the woman did not recieve help. I expect there will be some immediate personnel changes...