Long Term Care can be received in a variety of settings. The large majority of services in the United States are received at Home. This fact alone is the major cause of the severe consequences to families and their finances.
Home Health Care services are primarily provided by unpaid family caregivers. Home health care can also be provided by professionals including social workers, homemakers, and home care aides as well as skilled providers like nurses or therapists. Services provided include assistance with the Activities of Daily Living (ADL's) as well as the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL). The ADL's include bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, transferring, and continence. The IADL's may include cooking, cleaning, laundry, bill paying, and transportation.
Adult Day Care Centers are a community based service that can allow the person in need to continue to live at home. This form of care also allows the family members to have a daily respite or enables them to continue working. Similar to a children's day care center, a family member may drop off the patient on the way to work and pick them up on the way home.
Assisted Living Facilities primarily provide non-skilled full time care. They generally provide care in a secure environment where residents live in their own apartments. The large majority of care is provided by para-professionals who are trained in assisting residents with their activities of daily living.
Skilled Nursing Facilities provide skilled or rehabilitative full time care. These skilled services are provided in more of a hospital-like setting. Each resident may have a private or semi-private room. The facility must have full time nurses on staff to provide the skilled care needed by the residents.
