Assisted living is the fastest growing type of senior housing,
holding
out the promise of giving people the opportunity to get care and
help
with daily living in a home-like environment. It represents a move
away
from the institutionalized care setting often found in nursing homes,
toward
an environment that allows for greater freedom and independence
and a
higher quality of life. Unfortunately, the promise of assisted living
is not
always fulfilled. Too often, assisted living provides an environment
that is
much more institutionalized than necessary.
Free Guides: To address this issue, LTCCC and CIAD
(the Coalition of the Institutionalized Aged & Disabled) have jointly
produced free guides to help
achieve greater resident autonomy and quality
of life in assisted living. The four
guides - one each for potential residents,
current residents, direct care staff and administrative staff - provide
valuable tools and information on how to achieve
the promise of assisted
living. They are free and easy to use.
Free Training Workshop: With generous support from
the Nash Family
Foundation, LTCCC developed a training program for senior
community
leaders, geriatric care managers, long term care ombudsmen and
others
who work with older adults to introduce them to the guides and
provide
an easy way for them to take the benefits of the guides back to
others. This workshop, in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, can
be
downloaded for free (along with the guides) by clicking on the
picture
above. Individuals and organizations can use the workshop to
conduct
staff trainings, community workshops or other programs that will
help
seniors use the guides effectively to achieve a high quality of life in
assisted
living.
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