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What You Need to Know About Assisted Living
What Is Assisted Living?
Assisted living is a type of housing designed for people who need various levels of medical and personal care. Living spaces can be individual rooms, apartments, or shared quarters. The facilities generally provide a home-like setting and are physically designed to promote the resident's independence. Services are offered to assist residents with daily living.
What Services Do Assisted Living Communities Provide?
The services offered by assisted living communities vary from facility to facility. Services often include:
- One to three meals a day
- Monitoring of medication
- Personal care, including dressing and bathing
- Housekeeping and laundry
- 24-hour emergency care
- Some medical services
- Social and recreational activities
How Do I Know What Services I Need?
Talk with your family and caregivers about what services are needed. Take time to consider what services are important to you before you visit assisted living communities. This step will help ease your transition. Think about these questions:
- Why do I want/need to change my living arrangements?
- What daily activities do I need help with (bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, remembering medications)?
- How often do I need help?
What Should I Look For in an Assisted Living Community?
The following questions will help you and your family to evaluate assisted living facilities. Print out these questions and have them answered before you decide on an assisted living facility.
General
- Is the residence licensed?
- What type of insurance does the facility carry on personal property?
- How do they respond to medical emergencies?
- What is the visitation policy?
Contracts, Costs, and Finances
- Is a contract agreement available to include accommodations, personal care, healthcare, and support services?
- When may a contract be terminated, and what is the refund policy?
- Are additional services available if the resident's needs change?
- How do you pay for additional services that are needed on a temporary basis (such as nursing care)?
- Are there different costs for various levels or categories of services?
- Are there any government, private, or corporate programs available to help cover the cost of services to the resident?
- What are the billing, payment, and credit policies?
- May a resident handle his or her own finances with staff assistance (if able), or should a family member or outside party be designated to do so?
Staff
- Are staff members appropriately trained?
- Is staff turnover rapid or slow?
- Did you receive a warm greeting from staff? Are staff members personable and outgoing?
- Are staff members appropriately dressed?
- Do staff members greet residents by their first names and interact warmly with them?
- Are staff members available to meet scheduled and unscheduled needs?
- Are staff members available to assist residents who experience memory, orientation, or judgment losses?
Residents and Atmosphere
- Do residents socialize with each other and appear happy and comfortable?
- Do residents, other visitors, and volunteers speak favorably about the facility?
- Do the residents seem to be appropriate housemates for you or your loved one?
WebMD Medical Reference provided in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic
Healthy Aging Guide
Indication
Uroxatral® (alfuzosin HCl 10 mg extended-release tablets) is an alpha1-blocker for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of BPH.
Important Safety Information
Do not take UROXATRAL if you have liver problems or if you are taking antifungal drugs like ketoconazole or itraconazole, or HIV drugs like ritonavir.
UROXATRAL can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, especially when starting treatment. This may lead to fainting, dizziness, and lightheadedness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do any dangerous activity until you know how UROXATRAL will affect you. This is especially important if you already have a problem with low blood pressure or take medicines to treat high blood pressure. There may be an increased risk of low blood pressure and fainting when taking UROXATRAL in combination with blood pressure medication or nitrates, or erectile dysfunction medication.
If considering cataract surgery (clouding of the eyes), tell your eye surgeon that you are currently taking UROXATRAL or have previously been treated with an alpha-blocker.
Before taking UROXATRAL, tell your doctor if you have kidney problems.
Also, tell your doctor if you or any family member(s) have or take medications for a rare heart condition known as congenital prolongation of the QT interval.
BPH and prostate cancer can cause the same symptoms. However, UROXATRAL is not a treatment for prostate cancer.
The most common side effects with UROXATRAL are dizziness, upper respiratory tract infection, headache, and tiredness.
Please see UROXATRAL full prescribing information.
VIVELLE-DOT (estradiol transdermal system) IS AVAILABLE BY PRESCRPTION ONLY.
INDICATION
Vivelle-Dot is used after menopause to: reduce moderate to severe hot flashes; treat moderate to severe dryness, itching and burning in or around the vagina; help reduce your chances of getting osteoporosis (thin weak bones); and treat certain conditions in which a young woman's ovaries do not produce enough estrogens naturally. Vivelle-Dot 0.025 mg/day is only used to prevent osteoporosis from menopause. If you use Vivelle-Dot only to treat your dryness, itching, and burning in and around your vagina or if you use Vivelle-Dot only to prevent osteoporosis from menopause, talk with your healthcare professional about whether a different treatment or medicine without estrogens might be better for you.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Estrogens increase the chances of getting cancer of the uterus (womb). Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are taking estrogens. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb).
Do not use estrogens with or without progestins to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. Using estrogens with or without progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots. Using estrogens with progestins may increase your risk of dementia (decline in memory and thinking skills).
Vivelle-Dot should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding; currently have or have had certain cancers, including cancer of the breast or uterus; had a stroke or heart attack in the recent past (for example, in the past year); currently have or have had blood clots; currently have or have had liver problems; or think you may be, or know that you are, pregnant.
The most common side effects that may occur with Vivelle-Dot are headache, breast tenderness, and back pain.
You and your healthcare professional should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with Vivelle-Dot.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Full Prescribing Information for Vivelle-Dot.
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