Assisted living communities are an excellent option for seniors who may require more day-to-day assistance with activities of daily life (ADLs) but wish to remain as independent for as long as possible.In Los Angeles, assisted living communities come in many different sizes with a wide variety of different amenities and services. What distinguishes a property as an assisted living rather than an independent living or 55+ community is that it is regulated by the State of California and has employee caregivers.
Within the assisted living universe, there are facilities that primarily cater to people that are independent or have minimal needs to those who have severe limitations requiring a high degree of hands-on care services. What binds them all is the basic services provided in an apartment setting. Assisted living communities are like hotels with caregivers on site.
Services include:
- Up to three meals a day
- Assistance with personal needs such as bathing, dressing, incontinence care, feeding, transferring and ambulation
- Help with medications
- Housekeeping and laundry
- Transportation
- 24-hour on-site care supervision
- Social/recreational activities
Is Medical Care Available at Assisted Livings?
Most of the assisted living communities in Los Angeles have LVN nurses on site during regular business hours. A few, such as the Belmont Senior Living chain provide LVN and RN nurses 24/hours a day. None of them employ doctors but they may have affiliations with visiting doctors and home health agencies.
Assisted living communities are appropriate for those needing custodial care such as help with dressing, bathing,transferring, feeding, walking and medication management. These are services that are performed by caregivers, rather than licensed nurses. If your loved one has a feeding tube, needs a breathing machine, requires injections that cannot be performed by the individual or has an advanced pressure sore, a skilled nursing facility may be more appropriate. Exceptions can be made if the individual is on hospice or attended by a home health agency.
How much does Assisted Living cost?
The cost of assisted living in Los Angeles can range from a low of$3,000 per month to $10,000+ per month depending on location,size of the unit and care needs. Assisted living communities like Sunrise Senior Living, Brookdale, Belmont Village and others are like hotels with caregivers on site. There is base rent, which generally can run anywhere from $3,500 to$13,000/month depending on unit size and then there is the cost of care, which varies depending on need. The base rent covers the apartment, utilities,housekeeping, meals, activities, transportation, and 24-hour onsite monitoring, things everyone in the community uses.
Just like in real estate, the cost of a community aligns with the neighborhood. Senior living communities on the west side of Los Angeles such as Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Brentwood and Westwood are among the priciest. Prices go down a bit when you cross Fairfax to Mid-City and Hollywood. Most of the lower-cost independent, assisted and memory care facilities can be found in the San Fernando Valley.
Care is a separate charge that varies from resident to resident depending on need. One resident may only require medication management, while another might need full care for things such as incontinence or transferring in and out of a wheelchair.
Please read our blog for more detailed information.
What is the difference between Assisted Living and Board and Care Homes?
Board & care homes (B&C) offer the same types of services as the larger communities, but service is provided in a small residential setting. The intimate setting afforded by board and care homes allows for closer oversight of residents and is accompanied by a higher staff-to-resident ratio. They share the same Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE) license as the big buildings. Both are regulated and monitored by the California Department of Social Services.
When to choose a Board and Care vs. a larger Assisted Living facility
Full-service assisted living communities provide a host of amenities such as dining rooms, movie theaters, and sometimes even a swimming pool. They have a range of activities from bridge games to exercise classes and outings to places such as museums and theaters. Residents who are looking for a social environment and a way to engage with new friends will do best at an assisted living community. While all communities provide help with the activities of daily life (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing, transferring and ambulation, if someone is totally dependent on caregivers to get in and out of bed or ambulate to the bathroom, then a larger assisted living building may not be right for them.
The difference is caregiver response time. At an assisted living community, the caregiver ratio may be anywhere from 1:8 to 1:15. If someone needs to use the bathroom and presses their pendant, it could take as long as ten to fifteen minutes for a caregiver to respond, if it is a particularly busy time.
The board and care homes that Assisted Living Locators work with have a 1:3 or 1:2 caregiver ratio. Because these are, by nature, small houses, caregivers can attend to the needs of their residents much more quickly and personally. This makes Los Angeles board and care homes the best choice for individuals with high physical needs.
However, there are two drawbacks to board and care homes in Los Angeles for some individuals. Stimulating activities are minimal since most of the residents at board and care homes are not able to participate in group programming. Board and care homes are best when the primary need is for that of very hands-on physical care, not socialization.
The other is that the majority of board and care homes in Los Angeles cater to individuals with mid to late-stage dementias, such as Alzheimer's. Elders with advanced dementia require a high level of personal care making board and care homes the best option. This may be a disadvantage for seniors with high physical care needs but without memory issues. Knowing which board and care homes are primarily "dementia houses," and which have alert residents is one of the primary jobs of Assisted Living Locators.
If you are tired of searching for "assisted living near me," let us know. At Assisted Living Locators, we have got you covered with honest, thoughtful guidance to help you make the right choice. Our service is offered at no charge to our clients.
