Assisted living is a service that is offered by specialised organizations to adults that require assistance for doing everyday tasks. Assisted living residences offer assistance and supervision with daily routine activities, provide coordination with external caregivers and ensure proper monitoring of activities to ensure the wellbeing of the residents.

The services offered by such organizations may also include supervision and administration of medicines and specialised care offered by trained personnel. The roots of assisted living may be traced back to the 1990's when such communities came into existence and went beyond providing mere independent living or eldercare.

Senior living facilities comprise 24/7 services offered to suit the requirements of every individual. In the US there is no well carved out definition for assisted living, however these care givers come under the purview of the states. Over the years such facilities have emerged as real boons for those in need of specialised care round the clock.

The philosophy that is promoted through these service providers are dignity and independence to the elderly and the sick. The various alternative licensure terms that are used to define assisted living facility include residential care homes, personal care homes and assisted care living facilities.

In line with the various licensure terms, the physical layouts of the facilities also vary widely ranging from small facilities housing three individuals to large houses with hundreds of residents. Senior living has got a new definition with such care givers offering a variety of services to senior citizens.

The Different Kinds Of Services Offered By Assisted Living Facilities Include:

• Typical Resident Facilities: Such facilities are provided to senior citizens who do not require constant supervision and intensive medical care. People who fall under this category are in need of companionship and require some assistance for daily living.

• Specialised Facilities: Specialised facilities such as in-house medical and dental support are provided to people who require such care. Senior citizens who are temporarily incapacitated due to prolonged illness, accident or surgery are taken in and given specialised care by skilled staff. Nowadays facilities are designed keeping in mind the requirements of disabled people so that they can move easily on wheelchairs.

• Routine Health Check-up: Regular health check-up is carried out to monitor the wellbeing of the residents. Exercises and recreational programs are conducted for total wellbeing of the residents.

As a society, we developed nursing homes to offer specialised medical care to patients. However, patients often require more than just medical care. They seek companionship and a way to dignified and independent living. Assisted living offers all these and more for a nominal fee.

Most of the states stipulate training of assisted living facilities staff and do a criminal background check before issuing licences to care givers. Training requirements are categorized as direct care, emergency cases, safety, knowledge, health care related issues and processes.

Direct care includes tasks performed by trained staff directly with the inmates. Health related tasks include restorative and preventive tasks along with basic nursing skills. Knowledge requirements address the need to understand ageing process, psychological needs of terminally ill or dying residents, communication skills and development of care plans.