At Home Care and Assisted Living Options around Clearwater and St Petersburg, FL

There are four types of assisted living licenses. A facility must have a standard assisted living facility license in order to operate in the state of Florida. The other three licenses can be added in order for the facility to provide services designated outside the spectrum of a standard assisted living facility license. Below is a list of services that can be provided with each type of license.

Standard license: A residential facility that provides direct physical assistance with or the supervision of the activities of daily living, the self-administration of medication and other similar services.

Extended Congregate Care (ECC) license: An assisted living facility with an ECC license allows a resident to age in place by providing the basic services of an assisted living facility as well as:

 Limited nursing services and assessments

 Total help with bathing, dressing, grooming and toileting

 Measurement and recording of vital signs and weight

 Dietary management, including special diets, monitoring nutrition, food, and fluid intake

 Supervise residents with dementia and/or cognitive impairments

 Provide or arrange for rehabilitative services

 Provide escort services to medical appointments

 Educational programs to promote health and prevent illness.

Limited Nursing Services (LNS) license: An assisted living facility with a LNS license provides the basic services of an assisted living facility as well as specific nursing services. Some of the limited nursing services are:

 Nursing assessments

 Care and application of routine dressings

 Care of casts, braces, and splints

 Administration and regulation of portable oxygen

 Catheter, colostomy, and ileostomy care and maintenance

 Application of cold or heat treatments, passive range of motion exercises, ear and eye irrigations, and other services as defined in law

 

Limited Mental Health (LMH) license: This type of license must be obtained if an assisted living facility serves three or more mental health residents. Services must be provided for the special needs of these residents, along with the basic services of an assisted living facility. A facility with this license must consult with the resident and the resident’s mental health case manager to develop and carry out a community living support plan.

It is also really important to tour those you are considering. Many communities offer a free lunch, so you get a taste of the food and tours. It’s best to bring a friend to help you take in certain amenities… four eyes are always better than two!

As far as insurance is concerned, each community accepts different insurances and each also provide different levels of care. So you may notice in your touring that one Independent living community seems a lot “older” than another. Take all of this into consideration before making a move. You want to do it right the first time.