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Personal Care and Assisted Living Explained
Recently, Pennsylvania enacted new regulations that require retirement communities to modify how they describe what were previously called "assisted living" services. Previously, the terms "assisted living" and "personal care" were often used interchangeably, but moving forward, the Department of Public Welfare and Department of Health have created more descriptive definitions to each phrase to make them separate and distinct.
In January 2011 at Mennonite Home, our "assisted living" services became "personal care" and are no longer referred to as "assisted living." This is a change in name only as our services have not changed and we continue to provide the same levels of care for residents requiring assistance with activities of daily living. Personal care homes will continue to be governed by the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare. We have made this change in our promotional materials and website as well.
The term "assisted living" continues to exist in Pennsylvania, but is now more narrowly defined and will be governed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Assisted Living and Personal Care residences can differ in terms of nursing care provided and design of the accommodations. Assisted living is designed as part of "aging in place" concept. The term "aging in place" signifies the ability for people to remain in their own residence and receive supplemental nursing care services without moving to a specialized facility.
At Mennonite Home, our Personal Care accommodations also incorporate the "aging in place" concept by helping residents to continue to function at their optimal level as long as possible. With three different levels of care offered through Personal Care, residents can access the services that best meet their needs.
For more information, visit Pennsylvania's Long Term Living website.
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