"Assisted living" has become the generic term used for residential living options which offer adults assistance with their activities of daily living. Activities of daily living (referred to as ADLs), according to the federal Administration on Aging, include eating, dressing, bathing yourself and the ability to get around at home. The assistance may not be needed around the clock or at the skilled care level a nursing home would provide, yet an individual's needs cannot be met living at home alone.
"Assisted living" has evolved over the past ten to fifteen years and is still taking shape across the State and the Country. While 'assisted living' usually refers to a type of service offered by a facility other than one's own home and licensed by the State, 'supportive home care' refers to services a person brings in to their own home or apartment. For this type of service, visit our 'supportive home care' section. For apartment complexes or retirement communities that offer "supportive services" see "Apartments and Units" and "Federally Subsidized Apartments".
In some facilities, assistance is simply meal preparation, housekeeping and medication reminders. In others there may be more assistance with ADL's such as bathing, dressing, help with medication, and direction for frail or confused adults. There may be an onsite or on call nurse and other specialists along with a regular calendar of activities and events. Most facilities when they have the room offer respite care and a number of facilities allow pets. Programming and social activities provided by the facilities often help to break social isolation and loneliness that can occur with living alone in certain settings.
Couples may enter some assisted living facilities either at the same care levels or at different levels as long as the care falls within the State regulations that guide the facility. Often the second person pays an additional charge or 'room and board' when they do not need care. Information for couples may be found on the individual facility pages within this web site.
Assisted living facilities come in all shapes and sizes. They are small 4 or 8 person homes in a residential neighborhood, medium 15-20 person complex with rooms or apartments or, the larger retirement communities which serve a hundred or more adults.
Preadmission
Consultation:
Generally, anyone seeking admission to a nursing home, a Community-Based Residential
Facility (CBRF), a Residential Care Apartment Complex (RCAC) or an Adult Family
Care Home must receive a Preadmission Consultation by the Department on Aging
or Adult Social Services from the County in which the facility is located. The
facility must offer you the opportunity for the consultation. You may also make
the contact yourself. Agency phone numbers may be found within the "Search
for Living Options, County Supportive Home Care" portion of this web site.
"Preadmission Consultation": is an evaluation of your current situation, needs and preferences. It is designed to guarantee that you know all the available options before you make a decision to leave your home or apartment.
A social worker will arrange an interview to ask about your general health, abilities, home environment and any help you may receive from family and friends.
You will also be able to talk about you social needs and finances along with what type of support services are available in your community.
Who licenses assisted living and what are the three kinds?
Most offer one state licensed level of assistance. Others are a part of a continuum of care facility or program which offer more care options. The choice of assisted living requires a careful assessment by the facility, the development of quality care plans and a clear understanding of the contract by the resident, their family or guardian. This is important because once the facility can no longer meet a person's needs or if a resident exhausts there financial resources, the resident can be asked to leave. Medicare and traditional Medicaid do not cover 'assisted living'.
There are three types of assisted living in Wisconsin:
Adult Family Homes
Community Based Residential Facilities (CBRFs)
Residential Care Apartment Complexes (RCACs).
There are State regulations for all three. Adult Family Homes and CBRFs may be found at http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us. RCACs may be found at http://www.legis.state.wi.us/rsb/code/hfs/hfs089.pdf . While Adult Family Homes and CBRFs must be licensed with the State, RCACs are either "certified" to receive State Medical Assistance waiver funding or simply "registered" with the State. This means the first three are inspected by the State and the State will help if something goes wrong. If a RCAC is "registered" the State may visit the facility to see if it is in compliance with the state requirements but the State does not routinely inspect these facilities or verify compliance with the regulations, nor does the State enforce contractual obligations under the service or risk agreements. See each specific category for more information.
Community Based Residential Facilities (CBRFs)
Residential Care Apartment Complexes (RCACs)
Touring and Choosing Your Assisted Living Community