With no uncertainty, residential assisted living homes offer unique components that organically create safeguards against the coronavirus and other contagious ailments. In fact, there are several aspects about smaller assisted living homes that overshadow big-box facilities. One of these life-saving qualities of RAL homes is the ability to limit the transmission and spread of COVID-19. These safety factors are ingrained into the fibers of the residential assisted living business model. RAL homes have a smaller capacity of residents. As a result, these homes reduce the statistical chances of catching community spread diseases. On the other hand, big-box facilities are often occupied by dozens and even hundreds of elderly residents sharing various communal spaces. In addition to sharing spaces, they are forced to be exposed to more staff, suppliers, delivery personnel, and visitors.
While visitations can be suspended, the operational staff continues to raise the risk of exposure in larger facilities.Unfortunately, big-box facilities are breeding grounds for the transmission of communicable diseases, especially including illnesses like COVID-19. Even worse, big-box facilities are large multi-story buildings filled with long hallways that resemble hospitals that are surrounded by parking lots…not the warm and comfortable environment that most of us envision spending our twilight years. The residential assisted living model consists of 6-16 residents living in smaller structure homes located in traditional neighborhoods.
What are the components that make RAL homes safer, smaller and feel more like a home?
Feels Like Home
The small-scale residential assisted living model is trying to provide an alternative to the traditional, large facilities. Another big difference between big-box and RAL homes is the organizational structure. The residential assisted living home model aims to recreate a personalized care in a home-like environment. Traditional big-box facilities are hierarchical, task-centric organizations, where large staff focus on executing a strict routine of tasks associated with the care of the patients. On the other hand, RAL homes are small, self-managed teams, where the residents dictate how they live. Much like being at home, the staff can better cater to the residents preferences and needs. Small-scale care homes aim to offer a superior quality of care and comfortable living.
The buildings are often designed to have private bathrooms and bedrooms that offer plenty of sunlight. They also have cozy living rooms where residents can gather with each other or with visitors to socialize. Each home is different – some offer access to outdoor gardens, others have walking paths and outside seating. Residents can set their own schedules for when they want to wake up, eat meals and go to bed.They also enjoy customized cooked-on-premises meals and medication management. Residential assisted living offers a smaller, more controlled environment with better staff-to-resident ratios. As a result, caregivers share a more intimate relationship with each resident and a more comprehensive knowledge-base about their individual health conditions.
What Are Loved Ones Looking For In Assisted Living
There are three known features that family members search for when trying to find the perfect fit for their elderly loved one.
- More staff per resident
- Ability to meet special needs
- Small, comfortable community
- More Staff per Resident
Residential assisted living homes offer quality care, staff who are compassionate, friendly and responsive. More staff-to-resident ratios allows for better security and safety. Small residential care homes aim to excel in these areas. They are able to dedicate more minutes per day directly caring for residents. This also means staff are more likely to identify problems early and help patients get treatment before problems become serious.
- Ability to Meet Special Needs
Specialized needs include doctor-mandated diets, a lifestyle choice like veganism, a cognitive disability such as dementia, or other conditions outside the mainstream of care. A smaller residential assisted living home is ideal for meeting these specialized needs. There are also smaller specialized facilities dedicated to serving only individuals of a particular group or need. RAL homes have the ability to offer dementia care services that accommodate the special needs of individuals with Alzheimer’s with caregivers who receive specialized training.
- Community
Residential assisted living homes offer the opportunity for close relationships with staff and other residents. This offers an option to individuals seeking companionship with care. The smaller, residential assisted living home model offers the elderly a much better life than the institutional norm. A smaller community offers a host of benefits that big-box facilities do not.
Seven Benefits of Smaller Senior Assisted Living Homes
- Easier to clean home-like environment
- Limited outbreaks of disease and illnesses
- Better prepared to most situations and crises
- Small total numbers in the building reduces the statistical chances of catching and spreading contagions
- More controlled environments with staff who are aware of status
- Optional live-in caregivers
- People don’t stop taking care of their loved ones when hard times come and residential assisted living has never been more important than it is right now
Learn More About Residential Assisted Living Options
Family members don’t stop thinking about their loved ones during difficult times, in fact, they become more concerned during times of pandemics.
Seniors will always need a safe and comfortable place to live during their twilight years. Now, more than ever, seniors and their family members are recognizing the value in residential assisted living homes. The investment opportunity in RAL has never been greater and with the incoming silver tsunami of baby boomers the potential for larger investment will only continue to grow.
Are you wondering how you can get started investing in this booming industry? Gene Guarino is an American businessman and author. His newest book is titled, Blueprint, How To Start a Residential Assisted Living Business. RALA is an assisted living education company that teaches everything from A-Z about meeting the rising demand for senior housing. Guarino’s 3-day accelerated RAL course empowers students to achieve true financial independence. During the course, instructors use an interactive live training approach with virtual RAL home tours to teach students how to gain the most success.
Visit www.RALAcademy.com to learn more and register now. For additional information about how residential assisted living fits into the greater scheme of the industry read: Big-Box Senior Living vs. Residential Assisted Living Homes…What’s the Difference?
