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Show The Salt Lake Tribune NATION Friday, Fet Centers Fill Gap Between Home Care, Nursing Home 180 had private rooms and 24 BY STEVEN FINDLAY ODAY BRADENTON, Fla. — Doris Edmunds leans back in her padded easy chair near the bay windowof her small, cozy room. Col. orful quilts she stitched herself hang onalmost every wall, along with photos of her children and their families Doris’ mind still is sharp. Flashes of wit and humor spice her conversation. But at 78, Do- ris’ body has begunto yield to na ture. Like millions of senior cit zens, she needs help dressing and bathing. After two knee surgeries hourcare, two standard fi of newer assisted-livingf The potential for problems in board and care is higher,” says Catherine Hawes, director of aging research at the Research Triangle Institute in Raleigh-Dur- ham, N.C. “But that doesn't mean all of them are bad Other researchers say even the newer homes require consumer vigilance. ‘‘They'll pitch that you'll be able to live there for the rest of your life, but in reality if youstart to need too muchcare you're shipped off to a nursing home,” says Rosalie Kane a sity of Min searcher at the Un nesota Another problem exact opposite, Kane sa ne homes 20 people in ar Jenton neighborhoo hous Br the freedom t st Like Home. it opened 1996, and typifies the new wave of nees, which strive to pre come and goas! like an institutior (On ‘a darser scale. wood at the taking care of \lzheimer’s disease nitive impe Bridge. a residents asoning diffic ‘The Palmer Ranct The t may keep residents even though they require enough special care that they should be placed in a serve a home-like atmosphere Two, one-story clapboard-style buildings, both with porch south of Sarasota, Fla., resent a sleek new apartment complex It has 86 resident human- gned for then ured so they can't v andcolor-coding alle home. Unlike nursing which receive 60 percent heir revenue from the federal rnment, 90 percent of assistving costs are paid by residents or their families. nestled amid agrove of paln and acacia trees. Ins nal area und a fi central kitchen. Residents mill about, talking, watching televi sion andplaying games made lake accents the Inside, there's a snack th the motif of old-fashionedice cream parlor Residen efficiency-style apartments | mall living ar- find their way aroun: month is i Teny a would have been in home,” says Bernie Ca Bridge's administrator After brief stints in a couple of ther homes, Doris Edmunds set- tled on a midsizeresidence that Doris pays $1,850 a month to live at Just Like Home. “I feel very secure here, but I also have eas. They can bring their own fur niture. The home even has itsown a border collie named Inke they and ain fe nur the par she walks with difficulty. She no longer can prepare her own food or keep house. When a caraccident four 's ago killed her husband, Doris faced one of life’s ruel transitions 1 didn't want to bealone, and I didn't want to move in with my children and be a burden,” she says. od «x Great American Furniture Sale! «x xx Through Monday ee “AndI didn’t want to end up in @ nursing home or any place thatfelt likean institution down payment ~~ monthly payment ~ finance charge So Doris did what a growing numberof seniors are doing these days: She moved intoan assistedliving residence. One of thefast- -growing segments of the health-careindustry, assisted-living residences are for people who can't take care of themselves but aren't sick or frail enough tobein a nursing home. They're filling a erucial niche between at-home health care and nursing homes. which provide around-the-clock care for seniors who are bedrid- den or seriously ill In the mid-1980s, about 100,000 seniors lived in about 2,000 assisted-living homes nationwide. Today, 700,000 seniors | | live in 25,000 facilities. The num- ber of residents is expected to double over the next 15 to 20 years and skyrocket when baby boomers hit their goldenyears * A major draw is the price tag Short-term stays at an assisted living homecost $50-$100 a day compared with $100-$175 at a nursing home. Short-term stays involve people who need tempo- rary help, such as recovering from an accident or illness. Long whichare fueling the s growth, run $1,000 to month ‘The rangeinpricesreflects the variety of homes available. Most are separatefacilities, but a few are part of retirement communi ties and someare evenattached to nursing homes Small and Rural: In addition. there’s a rough division by size The smallest assisted-livin homes have been around for years andare called “board-and care” homes have nerally, 15 or fewer residents. they They tend to be concentrated in rura areas, small townsor inner cities Midsize assisted-living resi dences have 15 to 70 residents The largest are hotel-like com plexes that house up to 300 se niors. These newer residences of fer private rooms with baths. trained nurse's aides, and ameni ties such as reise classes Sunrise Assisted Living in An. napolis, Md., for example, looks like a Victorian-era mansion complete with two towering tur ets. Sixteen types of rooms ac commodate about 90seniors whe have varying degrees of frailty m The restaurant-style dining room serves lunch twice a day and a choice of entrees every night Sunriseis owned by a company of the same name basedin Fair fax, Va. It typical of the 50 or so companies developing national Sunrise has 35 homes in and 20 more under con struction, The company plans to build another 33 through the next three years. Each will house from 90 to 120 seniors. Several leading hotel firms are building homesjust aggressive ly. Marriott International Ine., for example, operates 31 assisted-liv ing residencesin 16 states with average of 110 rooms eac plans Heritage _ Twin,gachpiace,og naiTe sy po. chains of assisted-living resi dences, 11 states Maker set, 699.99 ip Pe bl ; comet All chairs & recliners Bi.UBNEWerea are Pedaes onsale! EEEVialekegs r j All occasional tables on sale! growth has catapult lion-a-year industry. a $15-bil It also ha: caught the attention of state regu lators. Although all states require assisted-living homes to be li censed, the industry has been loosely regulated. But nine states in the past two years have passed assisted-living statutes. And an other 18 are studying the industry with un eye towardstricter rules according to the National tudy last year by Academy of State Health Policy It's an extremely muddy area of regulation now,” says Robert Mollica, who conducted the study ample, 16 states still regu assisted living under rule ant for board-and-care home only Dozens Closed: ‘I'l old style homes trouble observer Through the years, dozens have been closed by state officials for failing to provide proper care and a safe environment. A 1993 study uch hojnes found that only ah 10-100 to build another 140 resi This rapid ei save dences in 14 states over the next four years ed assisted living into | | ELIEVA —” save 10” Ca price Protec1-888-400- eisaeun ani a Levitz OeDP near yOu: SALT LAKE CITY, UT 1414 S. 500 WEST (801) 973-2000 | |