Assisted living facilities (ALFs) are non-medical, non-institutional care facilities also referred to as residential care, “board and care,” or congregate living communities. They provide full-time living arrangements in the least restrictive and most home-like setting.
Assisted living facilities usually offer individual apartments or rooms and shared common areas. They have a range of services, including meals, personal care assistance, and help with medications, housekeeping, and laundry. Most offer 24-hour supervision, on-site staff, security and social and recreational activities (NIA, 2023, October 12).
Pre-Test: Try these True/False questions before continuing.
Answers are listed below the box.
- The more you learn about the different types of dementia and how they progress, the more success you will have when caring for someone living with dementia.
- Forgetfulness might be the most obvious symptom in the early, mild stage of dementia.
- Agitation includes irritability, confusion, making loud demands, and using obscene language.
- Delusions and hallucinations in people living with dementia can be caused by urinary tract infections and dehydration.
- Wandering can be addressed by using a physical restraint to keep the person from wandering.
- A sign of moderate dementia can include needing more assistance with ADLs.
- In the early stages of dementia, it is recommended that family members receive specialized training about dementia.
- When a loved one dies, family members can experience grief that resembles clinical depression.
- To integrate staff into a homelike environment, hire staff with the emotional skills to interact with people who have memory problems.
- An ethical dilemma can occur when there are good reasons both for and against a particular course of action and a decision must be made.
Answers: 1-4 and 6-10 are true; 5 is false.
More than 800,000 people in the United States live in assisted living facilities (Pillemer et al., 2024). In Florida, there are nearly 3,000 assisted living facilities, which range in size from a few residents to several hundred. About half of the residents in assisted living are over the age of 85 (USF, 2026).
Although assisted living was originally designed for independent older adults, more and more residents are living with complex medical needs. Nationally, about 40% of assisted living residents live with a diagnosis of dementia (Caffery et al., 2022, December).
Routine personal care services can be provided under a “Standard” license, or more specific services under a “Specialty” license. The purpose of “Specialty Licenses” is to allow individuals to “age in place” in familiar surroundings that can adequately and safely meet their continuing healthcare needs (FLAHCA, 2025).
People move into assisted living because they are no longer able to live independently in a home or apartment. They may need more help than is provided in a retirement home but do not want to live in a skilled nursing facility.