LTC vs Assisted living

Chicarocks123 · Aug 25, 2016

I work in both. SNF as my full daytime job and ALF PRN. Let me tell you that ALF is a cake walk compared to my other job. Basically it's a huge med pass. Maybe my building actually adheres to ALF standards. We do have 2 total assist but even they are pleasant. Honestly if they ever offer me day shift here I'd leave my other job in a heartbeat. Idk why everyone else has all these complicated cases that ridiculous! My patients are not like that. The most complicated ones have some type of dementia and its a lot of baby sitting with them. Otherwise ALF is easy for me, at least compared to SNF. With the right crew you'll have a smooth shift. That's anywhere though. Best of luck!!

Mhays · Sep 2, 2016

Long term care means that it usually is a nursing home or a skilled nursing center. These patients usually can be total care patients meaning that they need a lot of care with their ADL's, but they do have a floor where the patient care is a lot less and the client can do more for themselves. Assisted living is for people who need general assistance in dressing, toileting, and walking. The assisted living that I am volunteering at which is called Sunrise and it is ten minutes from my house is a great place to volunteer at. I talk to patients and help with activities (like being an activity assistance). I also get to talk to the residents and they are so loving and fun to talk to. I believe that either long term care or assisted living are really good choices for people. What is the deciding factor is the level of care that the patient needs. If they need a lot of care, then long term care or a skilled nursing center is the best for them. If they just need minor assistance, then assisted living is good for them.

Mhays · Oct 4, 2016

My dad and I have been driving around, calling, and asking for places to place my mom and just getting general information due to her physical injury and her dementia. My dad and I saw this one place and it looks like a hotel rather than an assisted living facility. Every resident has their own rooms, some rooms have a kitchen area, and there is a beauty room and other ammentities as well. Assisted living is a great place; especially this place that my mom and dad are now going to live in because it is a second home for them and they have everything that they need right there in the facility. LTC and assisted living are both really great; the only difference is the level of care that the client needs.

didi768 · Oct 27, 2016

Well let me clarify....I FEEL like a RT and wound nurse. I don't want to offend anyone career....sorry!!!

WEll I sure as heck knew what you meant. So many offended ppl

Mhays · Nov 2, 2016

The place that I worked at years ago was so unique in that it had many units combined into one healthcare center. There was the adult day care which was a gigantic room and in the basement of the facility. This unit had clients who came for the day and the level of care was minor to advanced. Upstairs was the assisted living area. It consisted of two units very near each other. Each of the units had about 15 or 16 rooms, but most of the rooms were two beds in them. A few were single bed rooms without any roommates. The level of care was more of a moderate to advanced range for the assisted living units. When I walked out of the assisted living units and into the next building which was connected, I was in the nursing home portion of the facility. There were I believe four units of long-term care and one unit that was locked. All of the units were moderate to very advanced levels of care. I would have to say that the assisted living would be generally speaking minor to moderate care and long-term care is generally moderate to more advanced level of care.

Mscoleman78 · Nov 5, 2016

Well, I have been working in the ALF for almost 4 months now and I also got a part time job at a Nursing home where I have worked for over a month. I just dont think that Nursing homes are my niche....At All!!!!! I heard a nurse say that nurses who work at ALF are lazy, and to that I say.....LIES!!!!! In the nursing field you have to find what works for you, and what doesn't work for you and right now...ALF work for me and LTC don't. I will be in ALF until I receive my RN degree....Decision Made!!!!!

Mhays · Dec 5, 2016

I have worked in both long-term care and assisted living and I prefer the assisted living aspect; however the long-term care aspect does give good care. The reason that I prefer assisted living over long-term care is for these reasons:

1. The care giving is not as much as it would be in long-term care; however that is determined by the individual and the nursing care plans.

2. The assisted living facility helps so many clients; especially the clients that just need help with little or some of their ADL's.

Working in an assisted living facility is good in that the care is a lot less than when I worked in the nursing home, but that depends on the actual client care plans because some of the care plans were smaller in size versus others. I liked working in both places, but I prefer the assisted living facility.

Interpolfan89 · Jan 3, 2017

Assisted livings are pretty cool in the sense that they are free to "assist" to whatever degree they want. I work at two different assisted living facilities (one full time, the other part time). At one I don't pass meds, at the other I do. At one I don't do any sort of treatment beyond emergency first aid, at the other I do minor treatments. At both I do 6 month and annual assessments, check up on residents that aren't well, and am allowed to reorder certain meds, in addition to handling complaints etc. One of the facilities requires me to be on call, the other doesn't. Yes, you have upwards of 60 residents "in your care" but they are mostly independent at my facilities and pretty pleasant. I enjoy my job and will never go back to LTC. I also really enjoyed pediatric home care :)

didi768 · Jan 4, 2017

Hi, what state do you live in? At the facility you did not pass meds at, was that b/c they had med techs? Would it be bad to call and ask if they have med techs? I don't want to sound like I don't want to pass meds but it's so hard with zillions of patients each night.

mellster, LPN · Jan 8, 2017

I had a job in assisted living for 2 years. I ended up going back to skilled nursing. In my AL, there were 3 buildings. 2 buildings were AL and 1 building had a locked dementia unit on the ground floor with 3 floors of independent living residents above. We had med techs and PCAs. Often, I would have a med pass to do for 25 residents plus I would be the only nurse for 3 buildings. There were a few times on night shift that I had to carry keys for 4 carts from 2 different buildings. It was absolutely insane and very unsafe. There needs to be more regulation in the assisted living business. Our residents were very sick also. We had diabetics, hospice patients, 2 assists, and wounds. I am much happier working in skilled care.

Mhays · Jan 10, 2017

Long term care is vital for these reasons:

1. It helps patients who are in need of more medical attention.

2. It helps with the care needs of so many people.

Assisted Living has a few reasons and they are:

1. The facility helps clients who need small assistance.

2. The facility generally helps the clients with small basic needs.

I hope this helps.

Chicarocks123 · Mar 29, 2017

Update: they offered me days and I left in a heartbeat buttttt I would now never suggest working in AL without at least a year under your belt. You won't gain any skills!!