America is growing older and there are going to be some difficult challenges ahead. As medical technology helps those with chronic illnesses live longer, these elders will require additional care, either at home or in some type of assisted-living facility (Genovese, 1997)
These facilities provide elderly residents with the freedom of living independently of relatives, but also offer assistance with tasks that are physically difficult, such as food preparation and cleaning. The combination of independence and convenience has made assisted living facilities extremely popular (Goodman & Steadman 2002)
In 1998, an estimated 75% of all construction for seniors consisted of assisted living units (Goodman & Steadman 2002). According to the Census Bureau projections cited by this author, the number of people younger than 50 will decline between 1990 and 2020, while the 50-plus population will grow by 76% (Horvitz 1990)
In the 1970s, nonprofit groups commonly maintained residential care facilities. Now for-profit companies operate an estimated 90% of assisted living establishments (Johnson 1998)
A cross between an apartment building with services and a nursing home, these facilities offer residential units, which sometimes include a kitchen, housekeeping services, meals, transportation to doctors and activities, and various levels of personal assistance -- all for a monthly rental fee. The promotional literature for assisted-living facilities emphasize the independence, support, and communal activities for their frail and disabled elderly residents (Lieberman, 2000)
While definitions vary from state to state (the table at Appendix A provides a comparison of commonly used terms), by and large, assisted living facilities differ from other types of supportive housing options in certain ways. Assisted living facilities tend to be larger; more expensive, and specifically designed to house the frail elderly or persons with disabilities, with an emphasis on independence and privacy (Mollica 2001)
8 million (39 cents per diluted share) from $3.86 million (18 cents); the diluted shares reflected the value of options, warrants and other securities convertible into common stock (Stefanova 2001)
73). Other differences between nursing homes and assisted living facilities are more definitive; nursing homes do not provide a great deal of professional nursing care for their residents, and nursing home residents receive attention from registered nurses for an average of only 9 minutes per day (Uhlenberg 1997)
Assisted Living An Analysis of Current and Future Trends in Assisted Living Facilities in the United States A substantial numbers of older adults will experience a decline in independence and an increased reliance on caregivers; in fact, today, of those people aged 80 or older, fully 25% will eventually become institutionalized because of needing assistance with day-to-day activities (Westburg, 2003)
Adult children are usually paying for the assisted living out of their own assets or the assets of their parents, so they control the decision. For example, during the recession the assisted living business struggled because the children needed to preserve more of those assets and kept their parents living with them longer, only putting them into assisted living when the children could not care for their parents any longer (Adami, 2011)
The local community paper is a poor way to get their attention -- the regular newspaper is probably better. Billboards and online have reach with that audience as well -- remember that many baby boomers are on Facebook, if for no other reason than to keep in contact with their children (Coombes, 2013)
The fact that assisted living facilities provide health and quality-of-life improving care to residents often in the end stages of their life presents many different ethical considerations and complications. One of these complications is found in the basic cognitive functioning of these residents, which can vary widely from resident to resident and can even change for specific residents depending on their ailments (Powers 2005)
Therefore, there is the aforementioned delicate balance between the role of assisted living programs in offering aid and in actually empowering clients to live as they please, particularly in the wake of elder abuse which is not uncommon in the U.S. (Greenlee, 2016)
The most accessible way of doing would be to start out by volunteering in this field. Volunteer work is a viable means of gaining experience for one's resume, which is designed to "get the most important information out" (Hu, 2016)