Finding the right senior living facility is as daunting as caring for your elderly. Between the fees, potential benefits, and residential options, choosing the best environment is often confusing. Rest assured, the right guidance and recommendations will proffer the right solutions, one of which is reading assisted living facility reviews in North Dakota. 

Also, sometimes, people tend to confuse skilled nursing for assisted living. It is for this reason that we have compiled a few distinctions between both senior care options.

Assisted living versus skilled nursing

1. Set up

A clear distinction between both is that while assisted living is purely residential, the other is medical. Nurses will try to imitate rehabilitation centers. At the same time, assisted living facilities can be in the form of high-rise apartments, stand-alone cottages, or any decent habitat. For many years, skilled nursing has been synonymous with institutional but less resident-centric, which has propelled more nurses to adapt to the modern homely setups.

1. Level of need

Despite that both senior care options work towards the same goal, the deal-breaker is the type and degree of care obtained. The more appropriate choice will depend on your needs, the type and level of care your elderly needs. For instance, IV medication or daily therapy needs will require a strict nursing home. Meanwhile, assisted living facilities in North Dakota are more suited for helping your seniors with simple tasks (social support, mental health, daily living, medication, or financial management).

However, you may want to place your elderly in a nursing home first, where deeper care is necessary.

1. Staff number

Except for a few, skilled nursing homes usually have registered nurses on-site throughout the week for a minimum of 8 hours each day. Assisted living facilities in North Dakota, on the other hand, do not always make provisions for on-site nurses unless required and requested. You may have to assess your needs before making a decision.

Understand how much medical attention your family would need and after careful consideration and assessment, go for the more suitable option. 

1. Accommodation needs

Short-term or long-term, how much care and attention required plays a part here. While skilled nursing is a more temporary option, assisted living facility in North Dakota is the opposite. On average, someone admitted to a nursing home should be looking at 100 days in total.

1. Residential goals

Skilled nursing accomplishes rehabilitation, and independent living might follow. This means you may opt for a skilled nursing environment first and move into an assisted living residence for supportive care. The goal, henceforth, will be to attain independence while helping out with basic tasks such as dressing, bathing, even meal preps.

Quite evidently, both options are unique as they serve distinct purposes geared towards your needs.

1. Cost

A more expensive option than assisted living, skilled nursing is for conservative spenders. Assisted living costs thousands of dollars less than its contemporary, every month. 

After establishing your needs, find the right institution nearest to you, whether a skilled nursing home or assisted living facility. You can also read up assisted living facility reviews in North Dakota for more info.

Catherine Gomez