Alyssa Bowey

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Mrs. DeBock
2nd Block
March 18, 2015
The Benefits and Care of Assisted Living as a Long Term Care Option
How are assisted living facilities more safe and beneficial for elderly people than in
home care? What advantages do elderly adults living in assisted living facilities have? What care
and services are provided to assisted living residents? Evidence shows aging elders would prefer
to remain at home, but when that becomes impossible, they and their families prefer a residential
environment that supports independence and choice (Abrahamson 86). Elderly people whom
reside in assisted living facilities prove to be significantly benefited by the wide variety of
services, options, and caregivers available for improving the quality of life, enhancing autonomy,
developing successful aging, and providing satisfaction through functional independence within
assisted living residents.
For starters, the term assisted living facility describes residential care environments that
have emerged in response to consumer demand for the 24-hour super- vision, security, and
services normally associated with nursing facilities while maintaining resident autonomy,
privacy, and comfort in a manner more consistent with a home environment (Abrahamson 86).
Most residents need help with activities of daily living (ADLs) ADLs are defined as
transferring, bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, and continence (Timmermann 27). Assisted
living enhances functional independence which causes higher satisfaction within assisted living
residents. Allowing residents to continue acting independently is a key fact of assisted living.

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That being said, constant care is available for any needs, be they medical, social or anything
between. Apartment-style housing is common in assisted living centers for the comfort and
privacy of residents, often with the added benefit of housekeeping. When residents are
functionally independent, they become more content with living at an assisted living facility and
enjoy feeling empowered by their independence. Assisted living increases functional
independence by providing services such as: occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech
therapy, activities and other beneficial services. Elderly people are monumentally benefited by
assisted living facilities in a variety of ways.
Secondly, assisted living facilities enhance successful aging within elderly people.
Assisted living homes influence successful aging among older adults currently living in assisted
living communities and further assess some of the characteristics of successful aging (KozarWestman, Troutman-Jordan and Nies 238). Successful aging includes multiple dimensions: a
sense of meaning or purpose, and physical, functional, psychological, intellectual, social, and
spiritual health for older people (Kozar-Westman, Troutman-Jordan and Nies 239). Assisted
living facilities offer services and have trained caregivers that improve the multiple dimensions
of successful aging. Assisted living residents are supported with opportunities to engage in
physical activity, which contributes to successful aging and other established benets. Residents
can participate in daily activities to increase physical performance and give residents the chance
to be social in a fun and safe environment. Encouraging a social environment within assisted
living facilities gives residents a sense of relationship to something greater than the individual,
which leads to successful aging and increased happiness. In recent studies, assisted living care
has shown to increase elderly residents initiative to become more functionally independent by

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exercising regularly and interacting in social activities. By encouraging the multiple aspects of
self- empowerment and independence within residents, assisted living facilities are enhancing
and adapting successful aging in the elderly.
Elderly people whom reside in assisted living facilities prove to be significantly benefited
by the wide variety of services, options, and caregivers available for improving the quality of
life, enhancing autonomy, developing successful aging, and providing satisfaction through
functional independence within assisted living residents. Assisted living facilities are defined as
systems of housing and limited care that are designed for senior citizens who need some
assistance with day-to-day activities. Assisted living facilities have many benefits over elderly
people in in home care. Assisted living aim to improve the overall well-being of elderly people
and that is why assisted living facilities offer multiple services to increase the functional
independence of residents. Love and care is the cure to empowerment and independence of an
individual.

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Works Cited
Abrahamson, Kathleen. "Does Functional Independence Influence Satisfaction among Assisted
Living Residents?" Seniors Housing & Care Journal 20.1 (2012): 85-97. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.
Kozar-Westman, Maryalice, Meredith Troutman-Jordan, and Mary A. Nies. "Successful Aging
among Assisted Living Community Older Adults." Journal of Nursing Scholarship 45.3
(2013): 238-246. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.
Timmermann, Sandra. "Long-Term Care Choices: What about Assisted Living?" Journal of
Financial Service Professionals 58.3 (2004): 27-30. Business Source Premier. Web. 6
Mar. 2015.