What's Assisted Living (Long-term care)?

What’s Assisted Living (Long-term care in B.C.)?

In retirement living, seniors in Assisted Living (Long-term care, LTC) leverage support from wellness experts for daily activities so they can otherwise maintain their independence. They may need help with tasks such as meals, housekeeping, laundry, grooming, dressing, bathing, transferring to mobility devices, or medication monitoring.

Steps to finding a senior community with Assisted Living (Long-term care)

Learn more about senior housing options, and levels of care for seniors who need assistance, including private retirement homes, long-term care and home caregivers or community care.
Visit senior-living residences, and use the following pointers from a registered nurse to evaluate the quality of the care when you take a tour.
Find an Amica residence near you; private tours are available to learn more about exceptional senior Assisted Living (Long-term care) with personalized care.

Answering your questions about Assisted Living (Long-term care)

When is Assisted Living (Long-term care) needed?
It may be time to talk to a parent about senior-living if you’re noticing behaviours that have you concerned about their safety and well-being. Involving seniors in the decision-making about senior housing before a crisis will allow you to choose based on your priorities instead of settling for whatever Assisted Living or LTC facility is available. Your answers to these questions will help you determine when Assisted Living, or LTC, is needed.

- Is your parent eating well? Are their clothes getting too big? Is food rotting in the fridge?
- Are they paying the bills? If you see a growing stack of unopened mail, that’s a sign they may not be managing well.
- Are they changing clothes regularly and taking care of toileting, grooming, and personal hygiene?
- Are they maintaining their spaces as usual? If not, the tasks may require too much effort, or they may have stopped caring about their surroundings.
- Are they managing medications appropriately? If not, it can lead to dangerous complications.
- Do they appear depressed or have they withdrawn from social activities? Grief is normal after a death, but if your loved one is not recovering or appears disinterested in everyday life, it’s worth exploring with their physician.
Learn more about when it’s time for assisted living.
What are the benefits of Assisted Living (Long-term care)
At Amica, we believe in enriching seniors’ lives by providing a beautiful environment combined with premium hospitality and professional care and support that’s personalized to the needs of each individual resident.

Unlike living in a typical nursing home, our private senior-care residences in Canada’s most inspiring neighbourhoods provide a choice of lifestyles that include flexible care, housekeeping, laundry, exceptional dining, organized activities, excellent amenities, social events and dedicated transportation for scheduled shopping and cultural excursions.

Seniors and families feel safe and comfortable knowing they will maintain their independence and control over their day while receiving support according to their preferences and needs, even if those needs evolve.
What are the differences between Independent Living and Assisted Living (Long-term care)
Independent Living: Seniors who can manage all or most daily activities without assistance, and are ready to to have help with chores, might move from the family home into independent living.

At Amica, seniors enjoy privacy and independence plus the perks of living in a thoughtfully designed residence in a vibrant neighbourhood. Residents set their own schedule, and invite friends and family for visits. They enjoy excellent amenities, including shared spaces to socialize; optional fitness, entertainment and social activities; meals prepared fresh daily by our in-house culinary team; and weekly housekeeping and linen laundry.

If a senior needs support, temporarily after illness or if needs evolve, that assistance is available 24/7.

Assisted Living (Long-term care): Seniors are best served in Assisted Living with nursing care if they wish to maintain their independence and privacy but require help with their daily routine.

At Amica’s thoughtfully designed residences, seniors in Assisted Living enjoy the same lifestyle as other residents, including seasonal cuisine prepared by our chef; housekeeping services; premium amenities; accessible, enriching social and recreational activities; and the freedom to go about their day as they wish.

Based on unique needs and routines, seniors are supported by certified wellness staff with tasks as requested, such as showering, medication assistance, getting dressed, continence care, et cetera.

Before you visit residences, you might find it helpful to learn more about how to tell where you fit in senior living.
What’s the difference between Assisted Living (Long-term care) and nursing homes?
Both types of senior housing provide a secure accessible setting with support for seniors to manage activities of daily living, such as getting dressed, bathing and personal care. Assisted Living facilities and nursing homes also provide senior care, meals, recreational activities, laundry, housekeeping, and transportation while helping seniors manage medications.

Seniors in Assisted Living (Long-term care, LTC) pay to live in their own suite in upscale apartments or retirement-living facilities. Premium amenities at Amica residences with Assisted Living may include a concierge, licensed dining room, indoor pool, fitness centre, craft kitchen, gardening centre, games room, library, pub, and more.

Residents with this level of support don’t need continuous medical care but might require assistance to live alone, such as help transferring to a wheelchair. Many of these communities also offer optional services from visiting health and wellness professionals such as physiotherapy, vision care, dental care, lab services, et cetera.

Nursing homes and long-term care facilities are for people who can no longer be cared for in their homes or in Assisted Living (LTC).

Nursing homes generally look more institutional. They provide a secure setting for senior living in a care home with complex medical problems or life-threatening illnesses that require 24/7 monitoring by nurses and doctors. Living in a nursing home may require sharing a room with one or more seniors.

With basic meals and amenities, and rates typically set by the province, nursing homes cost less than private senior Assisted Living (LTC).

Find out who is eligible for subsidies through your provincial ministry of health.
Why are the terms ‘Assisted Living’ and ‘Long-term care' used to explain a similar type of care?
'Assisted Living' is the term used in Ontario, and 'Long-term care' is the term used in British Columbia to describe a type of senior care where some support is needed.

What’s Assisted Living (Long-term care in B.C.)?

Steps to finding a senior community with Assisted Living (Long-term care)

How to talk to your parents and family members about senior living

Answering your questions about Assisted Living (Long-term care)

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