What are Assisted Living Communities?
Assisted living communities offer long-term housing and care for seniors who may be active but require more day-to-day assistance with activities of daily life (ADLs) but wish to remain as independent for as long as possible. In Maine, assisted living communities come in many different sizes with a wide variety of various 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 Maine and has employee caregivers.
Within the assisted living universe, some facilities primarily cater to seniors 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 essential services provided in an apartment setting. Assisted living communities are like hotels with caregivers on site.
What type of Services do Assisted Living Include?
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 Maine have nurses on-site during regular business hours and some 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 activities of daily living support and care such as help with dressing, bathing, transferring, feeding, walking and medication management. These are services that caregivers rather than licensed nurses perform. If your loved one has a feeding tube, needs a breathing machine, requires injections that the individual cannot complete, 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.
What does Assisted Living Cost?
The cost of assisted living in Maine can range from a low of$4,500 per month to $12,000+ per month depending on location, size of the unit and care needs. Assisted living charge base rent, which generally can run anywhere from $3,400 to $5,000/month depending on unit size and the cost of care, varies depending on need. Base rent covers the apartment, utilities, housekeeping, meals, activities, transportation, and 24-hour on-site monitoring, services things everyone in the community uses. 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 complete care for things such as incontinence or transferring in and out of a wheelchair.
