Table: Types of Long-Term Care - Merck Manuals Consumer Version

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Types of Long-Term Care

Types of Long-Term Care

Type	Services	Typical Living Arrangement	Funding
Assisted living communities Assisted–Living Communities Assisted-living communities are designed for people who need some help with daily activities (for example, with bathing, dressing, or taking their drugs as prescribed). These communities can... read more	Meals (in a common dining room or in the person’s room) Social and recreational activities Help with daily activities In some facilities, monitors for emergencies (such as intercoms and personal emergency response systems), services of nurses and physical therapists, and 24-hour supervision if needed	Apartments or occasionally just a bedroom with a private bath	Mostly private funds or long-term care insurance Help from Medicaid in some states
Board-and-care facilities Board-and-Care Facilities Typically, board-and-care facilities are similar to assisted-living communities. They are for people who need some help, particularly with personal care. Board-and-care facilities, sometimes... read more	Meals (in a common dining room or in the person’s room) Transportation to medical appointments or shops Social activities Help with personal care and sometimes some help with taking drugs (for example, reminding people to take their drugs)	Rooms on a common hallway	Mostly private funds
Life-care communities Life-Care Communities Life-care communities are for older people who want to move only once, to a place that will provide as much care as they need for the rest of their life. These communities guarantee that residents... read more	Meals (usually in a common dining room, except for residents who need more care and who have meals in their room) Transportation Social and recreational activities As much help with daily activities and health care as needed	Varied arrangement according to need	Mostly private funds Help from Medicare and Medicaid for skilled nursing care when it is needed
Nursing homes Nursing Homes Nursing homes are for people who need help with health care for chronic conditions but do not need to be hospitalized. The decision to move to a nursing home may be triggered by a change in... read more	Meals Help with daily activities 24-hour skilled nursing care Rehabilitation (physical, occupational, respiratory, and speech therapy) Hospice care Oversight by a doctor	Rooms on a common hallway	Private funds Medicaid Medicare for skilled care for a short time in certified nursing homes if care is needed daily after a hospital stay lasting 3 days or more (waiver of the 3-day hospital stay available in some cases, including with some Medicare Advantage plans)