Assisted living is not generally appropriate for persons requiring 24-hour skilled nursing care or ongoing medical monitoring. The average length of residency is nearly 2 years. An Overview of the Assisted Living Industry. Services Most assisted living facilities offer a range of services that can be tailored to meet the individual care needs of residents and to foster aging in place. Resident Units Private living units are another critical feature of assisted living that fosters and preserves privacy, autonomy, and independence.
Many states permit both private and shared units, but private units are the norm.
The cost of an assisted living stay, which is primarily determined by the services provided and the living unit, varies across facilities. Basic daily rates are typically less than the per-diem cost of a nursing home stay. For persons with low incomes, many states are incorporating assisted living into their public long-term care systems, typically through a Medicaid 1915c waiver. The trend is toward developing Medicaid reimbursements that reflect resident variations in disability levels and care needs. Medicaid only covers the services portion of an assisted living stay.