Assisted Living
OVERVIEW
socialization. Some residences even have
an onsite beauty salon and barbershop.
Restaurant-style dining is common with menu
choices and table service.
Look for residences that have robust social
and activity programs. Activities may include:
• Day trips/outings • Arts & crafts
• Bingo • Board games
• Dancing • Gardening
• Holiday & social parties
• Live entertainment
• Fitness & movement classes
• and much more
Assisted living is intended to provide housing
and care, but social interaction, the freedom of
choice, and the ability to make decisions offer
quality of life for you or your loved one. Look for
residences that place an emphasis on the total
wellbeing of residents.
Resident’s Care Managed
An ALF is required to have enough qualified
staff to provide resident supervision and
to provide or arrange for scheduled and
unscheduled resident services. An ALF is not
required to have a nurse on staff, though the
ALF may employ or contract with a nurse to take
vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, respiration,
and temperature), manage pill organizers and
give medications, give prepackaged enemas
from a doctor’s order, and keep progress notes.
The ALF staff will manage the resident’s care,
including ongoing assessments of the resident’s
needs and health monitoring. Additionally, the
ALF staff will coordinate and assist the resident
to gain access to needed medical services, as
well as mental health, social, educational, and
other services.
A resident cannot be bedridden, cannot
require 24-hour nursing supervision, and cannot
have stage 3 or 4 pressure sores. The resident
can contract with a third party, such as a home
health agency or a nurse registry, to provide
nursing and other medical services.
Licensing & Employee Screening
The administrator of an ALF must be screened
through FDLE and the FBI. Employees providing
personal care are screened through FDLE.
ALFs are licensed and inspected every
two years by the State of Florida’s Agency for
Health Care Administration (AHCA). The
license should be conspicuously posted. ALFs
that do not comply with regulations will be
given a deficiency report that gives the total
number of deficiencies cited. Current ACHA
reports for all ALFs in Florida can be found at
FloridaHealthFinder.gov
Financial Concerns
Residency in an ALF can be funded by:
• Private funds
• Long Term Care Insurance
• Optional State Supplementation (if the
resident is eligible), in addition to the
person’s existing monthly income
• Medicaid Assistive Care Services (if both
the resident and the ALF are eligible)
• Assisted Living for the Elderly Medicaid
Waiver program (if eligible)
• Nursing Home Diversion Waiver
• Veteran’s Benefits
Contract Basics
A resident will be covered by a contract
between the ALF and the resident. The
contract should include the services and
accommodations to be provided by the ALF;
the rates or charges; provision for at least 30
days written notice of a rate increase; the rights,
duties, and obligations of the residents; a refund
policy; the policy for a resident’s unit if said
resident’s health requires temporary admission
www.ElderCareGuide.com 15
/FloridaHealthFinder.gov
/www.ElderCareGuide.com
