Every resident living in an assisted living community has different needs according to their health and abilities. For those who need additional help, there’s high acuity care to help them recover more quickly.
High acuity care is a type of care given to seniors who have recently experienced a recent injury or have a more serious illness that requires special supervision, treatments, and rehabilitation.
An assisted living community that offers high acuity care often features a higher level of medical services to ensure each resident can receive the appropriate level of care and supervision they require. Moving a loved one into assisted living while they’re still in relatively good health is a good way to prevent health scares before they can happen.
At assisted living communities with dedicated nursing staff, acuity care is used to designate which residents need more assistance, whether that includes completing their daily activities, or completing rehabilitation, occupational therapy, or speech therapy.
We’ll explain how acuity care in assisted living can bring the most individualized care to a senior loved one.
What is Acuity Care and What Does It Look Like in Senior Living?
As the caregiver of your loved one, you’ve likely taken them to doctor’s appointments and maybe even to the hospital on many occasions. In these situations you’ve likely heard the term acuity care, or high acuity care being used. Usually, when a person requires high acuity care, they need additional help than you can provide for them. But what does this term mean exactly?
Medical professionals use an acuity level system to help them determine which residents will require additional care based on their acuity, or ability, levels.
This acuity level care system ensures that every person receives the appropriate level of care required for their condition. People who have a serious ailment or injury will receive a higher acuity level rating, so their health can be monitored more closely and they can recover more quickly.
Acuity care in senior living can mean many things, whether it’s depending on the help of someone to get your loved one get out of bed, walk around, or receive higher forms of care, such as helping with incontinence, rehabilitation, speech therapy, or memory care therapy.
Conditions That Are Often Under High Acuity
When it comes to measuring a resident’s acuity, there are a few important things that are considered. This includes:
- Mobility
- Condition stability
- Pain management
- Mental health
- Cognitive health
- Overall physical health
Seniors who are experiencing memory loss from dementia or Alzheimer’s, have Parkinson’s, ALS, MS, recently suffered a fall or injury, or had a stroke will require high acuity care.
Because these ailments hinder a person’s cognitive abilities and mobility, they will require a closer watch. Sometimes these conditions can be unpredictable, which is why they require a higher level of care and supervision.
For residents experiencing these conditions, there is higher-level staff who can provide on-site rehabilitation, speech therapies, and other rehabilitation services.
How Acuity Care is the Right Fit For Seniors Needing Enhanced Care
Often when a senior experienced a serious illness, injury, or ailment, many assisted living communities will no longer be able to accommodate their changing needs. This is when many people consider a skilled nursing facility, or nursing home, to take care of their loved one.
There are also enhanced assisted living communities that offer the friendly atmosphere and community of a retirement home, in addition to a wide range of medical services.
High acuity care allows seniors and residents to remain in their assisted living community while receiving a full spectrum of care, which includes assistance with daily activities such as taking medications, bathing, dining, and managing medications.
An enhanced care facility such as The Kensington White Plains features on-site rehabilitation including physical, occupational, speech, and memory care therapy.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy aims to improve a resident’s sense of balance and maintain their strength. This is particularly useful for residents who have recently fallen, or injured their knees, back, or ankles.
Physical therapy is also necessary for helping residents recover after receiving surgery so they can become mobile again.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy aims to help residents recover and maintain their occupational skills, usually hand-eye motor movements that will help them complete their activities of daily living. This will help them with grooming, bathing, dressing, and feeding themselves.
This is particularly useful if a resident has recently had a stroke, or is experiencing the effects of Parkinson’s, ALS, or MS and find it more difficult to use their hands and body to complete normal activities.
Speech Therapy
Speech therapy helps with all aspects of verbal communication and therapy. For people who suffered strokes and have facial paralysis, or people who had throat surgery or other illnesses that affect speech, speech therapy helps them regain their ability to speak and also helps with swallowing problems.
Memory Care Therapy
Memory care therapy is for people experiencing memory loss because of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Memory care is often practiced in memory care units that have been specially designed for people with memory loss.
Therapies can include:
- Tactile stimulation
- Music classes
- Aromatherapy
- Art sessions
Kensington’s Commitment to a Higher Level of Acuity Care
The Kensington White Plains is an enhanced assisted living and memory care community located in White Plains, New York.
Our enhanced care model provides additional care that isn’t seen in the typical assisted living community. We are trained, staffed, and legally able to care for residents who are very frail, including those with Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, MLS, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other conditions.
Unlike other nearby communities that only hold enhanced licenses for a fraction of their beds, we apply our enhanced assisted living license for every bed in our community.
We welcome those with complex health challenges that other senior living communities are unable to care for.
We are able and willing to assist residents who require a higher level of acuity care who need:
- a Hoyer Lift to move because they are wheelchair bound
- two-to-three person assistance to help getting up
- pureed diets and speciality diets
- feeding tubes, IVs and catheters
- wound care
- insulin injections
- memory care
- assistance due to movement disorders
- assistance with colostomy and ileostomy conditions
We have a staff of licensed nurses on our premises 24/7 to provide care for all of our residents, especially our residents who require high acuity care. We also feature life enrichment and dining services for our residents.
We offer preventative and proactive physical care to preserve physical strength and boost morale. Our two-tiered cognitive care program offers an enhanced caregiver-to-resident ratio for more supervision and companionship for those in our highest acuity dementia neighborhood.
The Kensington White Plains offers two distinct memory care communities.
- Connections: a neighborhood for those with beginning to middle stages of Alzheimer’s and dementia
- Havens: for those with more advanced stages of Alzheimer’s.
At the Kensington White Plains, we stand behind Our Promise to love and care for your family as we do our own.
If your loved one needs high acuity care, please contact us to learn more about our trained nursing staff and our community.
Further Reading:
To learn more about our exceptional assisted living and memory care at The Kensington White Plains, click below or give us a call today for any questions. We promise to love and care for your family, as we do our own.