Adult Foster Care vs. Assisted Living

While it’s easy to assume that foster care is only for children and teens, that’s not the case. There is also such a thing as foster care for adults with disabilities, designed for individuals over 18 with special needs. Residents may be disabled, dealing with mental health struggles, or facing age-related conditions like Alzheimer’s or dementia. 

Adult foster care programs can easily be confused with assisted living, but the two have a few significant differences. Many individuals find adult foster care facilities to be more personalized, offering more intimate individual care and a more home-like environment. 

Golden Life AFC is proud to run an adult foster care facility that preserves the quality of life and standard of care for all our residents. Below, we outline the differences between adult foster care and assisted living or senior living homes. We will also cover what makes the AFC approach different, and why your loved one could benefit from the care we provide.

Identifying Potential Advantages of Adult Foster Care over Assisted Living

In our homes we provide all aspects of a residents needs including assistance in daily living, 24 hour supervision, and all of their medical needs as one comprehensive care plan. We do not charge separately for a residents, rent, care, dining, and appointments as most assisted living facilities tend to do.

Secondly, our homes are a more residential living environment and provides a more home like feel and opportunities for close family like friendships to develop within the home with other residents and staff. The level of normalcy that comes with smaller residential environments can often help the elderly resident adapt more quickly and feel more comfortable during their stay.

While many assisted living facilities and senior living homes are unlicensed and lack regulation, all of our homes are state licensed and regularly inspected by the state licensor and Fire Marshal. Some of the benefits of being state licensed are:

  • The latest Fire suppression systems installed in our facilities and up to code for your loved one’s safety and well-being.
  • The number of residents and the staff to resident ratio is monitored and controlled by the state so that there are checks and balances to ensure a high level of care for our residents.
  • The care assessments are made and inspected by the state to ensure that our residents are cared for properly and with the training and education crucial for your loved ones well-being.
  • The environment is homier and less hospital like to give residents the opportunity to build lasting support in the home and improve quality of life.

Breaking down the Specifics of our All-Inclusive Care

Medical Care

Older residents and those with conditions affecting their memory can receive supportive memory treatment at adult foster care homes. Some common memory care activities include:

  • Reading
  • Physical coordination games
  • Resident engagement

Residents can strengthen their memory, regardless of whether the memory loss stems from aging or mental disability. 

Our AFC homes partner with some of the best on call doctors, nurses, therapists and third party providers to ensure that the best possible medical care and supervision are provided to our residents.

One important third-party provider is hospice. We have hospice partners who can come in when necessary to ensure that your loved one can stay in a familiar and safe environment and avoid the un-necessary stress of moving to other locations for their end of life care.

Premier Nutrition

Michigan AFCs must provide three meals daily, along with snacks. All food provided must comply with the daily recommended dietary allowances by the Food and Nutrition Board (part of the National Academy of Sciences’ National Research Council). All of this is regulated in AFCs, whereas the guidelines are much looser for assisted living homes. 

Every home has a certified food nutrition and safety expert on staff to ensure that we are feeding our residents balanced and healthy diets that comply with dietary standards and doctors orders.

Wellbeing and Spiritual Support

Our homes strive to provide social, mental and spiritual support to any of our residents who need them. There are several partners we collaborate with to provide, activities, peer support, transportation, worship services, counseling, and other needed supports.

Our homes are dedicated to tailoring these services to meet the needs of all different faiths and ethnicities. We recognize the unique challenges that disabilities and age-related conditions have on the mental state of an individual and always look closing at our residents mental and spiritual welfare.

Community Involvement and Activities

Golden Life AFC offers many different activities and community outings that many assisted living facilities and even other AFC homes do not offer. We have a variety of opportunities such as sightseeing, shopping, special dinners, games and crafts, community centers, parades, barbeques and more. We schedule a minimum of 3 outings per week for those residents who can participate.

Resident Hygiene

At Golden Life our resident’s physical well-being and hygiene is a high priority. Our personal care services included in our care package always includes showering, haircuts, shaving, teeth care, laundry, outside sourcing for eye care, foot care, and much more.

When you place your loved one with us we develop a personalized plan of service with you to ensure that all the needs of the resident are met and these will be re-evaluated every 6 months.

The Golden Life Difference: Schedule a Tour

Are you in need of respite and more specialized care for your disabled or elderly loved one? 

When you choose Golden Life AFC to partner with you expect a higher standard of overall care and atmosphere. We are proud to serve residents of Michigan with premier adult foster care. Our principles of hope and servant leadership serve as our guideposts in all we do.

At Golden Life AFC, our core mission is to enrich the lives of residents, build a healthy community, and enable our residents to still interact in the world in meaningful ways.

Contact our placement team to schedule a tour today

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