Assisted Living Facilities Research Paper

Introduction
Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs) is one of the fastest-growing residential settings for older adults in the US. They provide diverse settings and care alternatives to adults. The general population prefers to receive care in an assisted living facility rather than a nursing home by a six to one margin. The increasing preference for assisted living facilities is caused by the different social stigma it has compared to other long-term care facilities (Bowblis, 2012, p. 238). Assisted living residents have a lower level of need and are regulated at the state level, making them more unique across the nation, however that can lead to inconsistent, inferiority care.
Definition
Assisted Living Facilities has not developed a specific commonly cited definition because
For instance regulation in few states do not allow individuals to reside in an ALF if they qualify for a nursing home. Regulation of these facilities varies by state, but assisted living providers across the country agree that any level of regulation needs to be limited to allow the flexibility to address the changing service needs of residents as they age (Nolin, 2012, p.240). Three quarters of those who left an assisted living facility did so because they needed more care as they age or their illness worsened. ALF are expanding their services by offering a more complex array of services, including special care units for dementia-which are a majority of their patients. ALF are allowing people to age in place longer before discharging them to a more sophisticated setting of care (Bowblis, 2012, p.240). AL bed supply is also expanding, increasing their availability for more clients. However, the increase in beds may only be reducing the quality of care the residents will be receiving because there is less staff and more patients to be cared