Assisted Living vs Board and Care Homes

If you are experiencing difficulty when completing everyday activities like dressing, showering, moving around your house, and completing the simple tasks around your home?  If so, you might need to choose between an assisted living facility and a board and care home. These two types of facilities for seniors provide the daily support seniors need and help them remain independent. Making the decision to move from your home might be hard, but if you are honest about your needs and you are willing to spend some of your time to select the right facility, you will make the right decision and spend your senior years happily.

What is an assisted living facility?

Assisted living facilities are residential options for elderly adults, particularly those who need help with daily living or activities – such as getting to the bathroom, cooking meals, keeping the house, and traveling for doctors’ appointments. Assisted living facilities are perfect for people who need more personalized care services, which they are unlikely to get in their homes or in independent living facilities.

What is a board and care home?

Board and care homes are licensed and operate 24 hours a day. Board and care homes provide room, board and 24-hour staffing assistance and care for the seniors with things like dressing, bathing and medication management. The other popular names for these facilities are residential care homes, group homes or adult foster communities. They are all over the United States, but in California, they are known as Board and Care facilities.

Here are the key differences between the two types of facilities for seniors:

– The living environment

In a board and care home the facility generally accommodates more than 100 residents. Some of the facilities have fitness centers and beauty salons. The size of bedrooms range between 200 square feet and 500 square feet and will include a private bathroom. Board and care homes provide transportation to and from all doctors’ appointments. In assisted living for seniors, the residents live in comfortable environments maintaining as much independence as they are capable. Some residents live in apartments with the ability to prepare their own meals.  Other residents requiring more assistance take their meals in a cafeteria.  Many residents combine both options by preparing their easier meals of the day and taking dinner in the cafeteria.   Assisted living generally offers a wide variety of activities, outings, and fitness options.

– Differences in care

Both the assisted living facilities and the board and care homes help the residents with their daily needs, but you should expect several differences.  Generally, board and care homes charge more than assisted living homes for seniors because they have greater overhead and provide more complex services. The other important difference relates to the needs of the resident and it is the ratio of residents to caregivers. In the board and care facilities, the ratio is around 14:1, while in the assisted living facilities it is 3:1. Both the assisted living facilities and board and care homes provide robust activity schedules to accommodate more residents, but the assisted living homes provide small-scale activities, which they tailor to match the capabilities and needs of each resident. The dietary needs and meals of the residents are a key consideration when selecting a facility for your loved one. The board and care facilities cook for hundreds of people and which likely to affect the food quality and the choice of menus. In the assisted living environment, the residents enjoy home cooked meals customized to their likes.

Conclusion

Board and care facilities are private facilities that house around 100 residents or more. Rooms are shared or private. Residents receive meals and personal care throughout the day. Some facilities offer medical and nursing care on site and others accomplish medical care off site. Assisted living facilities enable residents to maintain as much independence as possible in an apartment like setting.  Assisted living is meant to provide “assistance” to residents while keeping seniors active and self-reliant.   Call us for a complimentary assessment.  Our assessments are designed with the Seniors needs and wants in mind.  Our goal is to ensure that all needs are professionally met.