Benjamin Franklin said it best – “Nothing in life is certain except death and taxes”, but with the daily progress of science, technology and healthcare, Americans live longer always *. This blessing, however, has a unique dilemma for American families to plan how and to prepare for the retirement of the person were created.

Do you have a road trip lately? Almost all the streets are decorated with large posters, enter the location of the new planned communities where couples can spend their retirement for your vacation. I doubt you are a local newspaper, which found at least have not found an announcement of the promotion of facilities at local assisted living facility. Search for “Nursing homes in Virginia” on the Internet and thousands of Web pages. Every day new bodies will be built with different programs and distributed by the state.

Is that right device for you and your family? If yes, what institution? We often hear the terms of the Retirement Community, “” nursing home “and” Assisted Living “, but consider rare, what these terms mean. The differences are striking and it is imperative to understand these differences to make decisions for you or to make your loved ones.

Homes In Virginia, a nursing home, easily with the primary function of providing long-term care, nursing services and services related to health on a continuous basis designed for the treatment and inpatient care of two or more independent persons **. In other words, a nursing home a facility for someone who needs less care than the hospital, but needs daily assistance to health care.

The Virginia Department of Health licenses for these facilities and has issued guidelines for the various aspects of its activities, programs and staff requirements, etc. have written ***. For example, a nursing home must: political (a), procedures for the treatment by residents and care management for the residents that are available to residents and their families (12VAC5-360-20) (b) Emergency Medical Services within 15 minutes under normal conditions (12VAC5-360-50), subject to (c) unannounced on site day care by state employees (12VAC5-371-60), (d) a written agreement with one or more physicians by the Board of Medicine Medical Director Virginia (license 12VAC5 371-230) and (e) Each resident must be less than the care to be a doctor of the Virginia Board of Medicine (approved 12VAC5-371 to 240).

In addition, the residents of nursing homes and certain rights, such as Virginia Code § 32.1 at 138 defined. See http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+32.1-138. nursing homes, the most regulated and structured residential options for seniors are requiring a certain level of daily health care. If The facility offers care through Medicare and Medicaid, it is considered a “nurse” (Virginia Code § 32.1-123, Virginia Code § 32.1-127) and must have federal and state laws.

Of course, the rules and regulations that define and control the daily operation of a nursing home, the greater is the responsibility of employees. These are people who will be responsible for the daily task of care for your beloved, and to ensure that they with government and comply with federal laws. No matter how pleasant and attractive investment, or perhaps the staff is the difference between your beloved maintained and promoted, or not.

A nursing home is best suited for someone:

Who health needs of daily life – such as getting in and out of bed, taking medication or using the toilet.
Who dementia or Alzheimer’s disease and therefore not in a able to get to eat or bathe daily, and without prior notice or assistance;
who recovered from a fall or accident and is unable to walk, dress or eat without assistance and
Residence Services

“Residence Services, a nursing home has been approved for adults that, of the Virginia Department of Social Services to a level of service for adults with mental or physical disability, at least moderate assistance with activities of daily living. In assisted living, there are two types: regular housing assistance for older people (usually) who need help with one or more daily activities, and intensive assisted living for someone who is engaged not in a position to work because of mental and can / or severe physical disability (12VAC30-120 to 450).

The Virginia Department of Social Services licenses assisted living rules, but not, as the Ministry of Health regulates nursing homes. Although there guidelines on the aspects of Virginia are assisted living, they are limited to: an assisted living facility must: (a) to provide or coordinate personal services and ensure health, and (b), 24-hour surveillance.

As in the table below are the assisted living facilities are not required to provide specified health care and / or personal health care available to your loved ones. In addition, without any obligation to provide these services, there is the question of whether a duty to warn or treat residents with illnesses or diseases that could be transmitted by other residents.

If a nursing home is set a lot of nurses and doctors on staff to supervise the residents, is more like an assisted living residence or a college dormitory, where the residents laundry and catering services made available to themselves and for the rest of the day.

A living plant is best suited for someone:

Who is in principle independent, but may not be able or willing to prepare their own food or drive to medical appointments; reduce
Who and need help with the laundry waiting, cooking, etc. in the near future.
A couple where one spouse is independent, but can help with food and / or the support of the other spouse.
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In Virginia, you can also see advertising for a retirement community. They only pop up about our favorite college towns and tourist destinations.

Continuing Care Retirement Community offers care to adjust your current needs. as an insurance policy, the residence of an entrance fee and periodic payments paid adjustable, which must in turn the residence of a package of health and housing of the CPAB, if hosting services and health care are needed. For example, if help with the entry, what you want with your meal is the only service that is provided. If you want an intensive physical therapy or, God forbid, daily assistance for a person with dementia, the accommodation has CCRC services or nursing homes available to support your contract. continuing care contracts are regulated by the Virginia Bureau of Insurance of the Virginia State Corporation Commission.

Many CCRC must have nursing services either on site or in licensed facilities have offsite (12VAC5-360-10). Although you can in the retirement community as a resident in good health and able to introduce independent, depending on your needs, then your contract with the Community and in return, the obligations of the installation for you.

A Continuing Care Retirement Community Facility is best suited for someone:

Who is in principle independent, but offers need for daily health care for themselves or a spouse in the near future ;
Who is physically disabled and not care for themselves or a spouse if the disability worsened.
with at least three very different decisions, it is very important to your search:

the Department of Social Services Website: http://www. dss.state.va.us / facility / search / alf.cgi.

Search for nursing homes to go to the Medicare website: www.medicare.gov.

And last but not least

It is always best to be a family member of a resident’s latest talk and spend time getting to know the staff, what the nature of the property that you are looking for, if research and the research is not enough to look down at the table – a comparison between the legal duties of a nursing home in relation to the legal rights of an assisted living facility in Virginia.

Duty or />
requirement Nursing Home Assisted Living

obligation to care and / or monitoring the health of the residents?

YES NO

doctor needs to monitor the residents?

YES NO

Every resident must be approved under the care of a physician from the Virginia Board of Medicine?

YES NO If nurses are the employees?

YES NO

Must provide Rehabilitation?

YES NO
must have ongoing consultations with a nutritionist or a nutrition consultant to the staff?

YES NO

24 hours of monitoring necessary? need to develop

YES YES

/> a written plan for the approval of residents?
YES YES

The employee must be subject to criminal background checks?

YES YES monitored by the Virginia Center for Quality Care and Consumer

YES NO

by the Department of Social Services
YES NO Controlled

* Life expectancy increased dramatically during the past century, from 47 years for the Americans in 1900 at the age of 77 in the years born 2,001th The same factors of medical care and better prevention measures, which contributes to the dramatic increase in have life made a big change in the leading causes of death in the United States during the past century, infectious diseases and acute diseases to chronic and degenerative diseases. “The State of Aging and Health America 2004, the Center for Disease Control published, available at http:// www.cdc.gov/aging/pdf/State_of_Aging_and_Health_in_America_2004.pdf.

** See generally , Virginia Code § 32.1 at 123, as amended, and Virginia Administrative Code § 12VAC5, 360-10.

*** It is a crime under Virginia law to operate on a care facility without a license. See Rule 12VAC5 371-30.

Continuing care retirement communities