The main difference is that the level of medical care isn't the same between nursing facilities and assisted living.
Assisted Living Facilities’ primary focus is to help residents with activities of daily living. Most residents can still take care of themselves for the most part. They might need (or just enjoy having) some assistance with cooking, daily household tasks like cleaning and laundry, and personal care like showering – but it's like ordering from a menu… you can ‘sometimes’ choose what you want help with. Licensed Nurses are not required to be present 24 hours a day – however, a geriatric care giver is required to be present. Monthly prices for this kind of housing is based on the level of assistance you want or need. MEDICARE DOES NOT COVER THE COST OF LIVING IN AN ASSISTED LIVING.
Skilled Nursing Facilities offer a higher level of daily medical care, including everything from help getting dressed to using the restroom to getting in and out of bed. Licensed Nurses are present 24hours a day. If recovering from an illness or injury, a Skilled Nursing Facility may be needed ONLY for a Short time… In this case MEDICARE will usually pay. However, if you’re unable to recover in the time frame dictated by MEDICARE, then they’ll stop payment and either you’ll need to pay PRIVATELY or Apply for MEDICAID.
