Dulaney Valley Assisted Living  |  CALL (410) 252-3430 Locations in: Baldwin | Hamilton | Hunt Valley | Cockeysville

Dulaney Valley Assisted Living

Nursing Home vs. Assisted Living

Assisted Living Facilities

An assisted living facility is often confused with a nursing home, and the two establishments are often compared interchangeably. The fact is, a person able to take advantage of assisted living care would likely have no reason to choose nursing home care instead.  Assisted living individuals are more independent and can generally get through the day by themselves. They may really only require attention for tasks such as preparing food, or personal grooming. Often times assisted living facilities require little to no medical care, and ideally candidates are in good mental and physical condition. Assisted living facilities provide a higher degree of personal privacy and focus their efforts on maintaining self-sufficiency for the individual. Social activities are still promoted under assisted living care, and most autonomous decisions about the individuals can still be made on their own. Assisted living can also provide luxuries such as apartment building that offer house keeping and meals for those who prefer not to maintain a larger home.  Generally an assisted living facility offers the care seekers the choice of how and when they will require assistance. The client will never be “told” but “asked” in almost every instance of how they can best be served.

Nursing Homes

Patients in a nursing home are generally in need of a great deal more care, and medical attention on a day-to-day basis. Round the clock nursing care is a standard for most nursing home facilities, and they are readily equipped to care for those in poor mental and physical health. Nursing home care patients generally require frequent medical tests, have mobility issues, and are not able to meet their basic needs independently.  A patient working to gain back independence due to a medical problem will often begin at one of these facilities. They are no longer in need of hospital attention, but are not able to be on their own yet. Because nursing homes are regulated by the government, and usually paid for by a government-funded program, i.e. Medicare or Medicaid, they are ran and regulated in a more structured environment. Meals and personal maintenance is usually done on a routine schedule daily, and like a hospital personal privacy is limited. Nursing homes care for “patients” not “clients,” and are there to get well and gain back personal independence.