Environmental Scan of Instruments to Inform Consumer Choice in Assisted Living Facilities

Assisted living continues to emerge as a major source of housing for the growing elderly population. Several factors will augment this trend, including the New Freedom Initiative Medicaid Demonstration Act of 2003, response to the 1999 Olmstead v. Supreme Court decision, the rebalancing demonstrations from institutions to home- and community-based sciences, and Medicaid cost containment strategies that are aimed at reducing nursing home use. Assisted living definitions vary, but fundamental to this long-term care setting is a philosophy of independence, with an emphasis on dignity, autonomy, choice, privacy, and maintaining a homelike environment.

When selecting an assisted living facility, a consumer's ability to make informed choices is compromised by the variability in philosophy, services, and accommodations among places called assisted living and by the lack of readily available, objective information about the characteristics and performance of facilities. While there are mechanisms to evaluate the quality of assisted living facilities, such as State licensing boards and private accrediting programs, the results of these evaluations are not readily accessible to consumers. To address this need, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality sponsored an environmental scan of assisted living questionnaires and other long-term care instruments currently in use. The results of this scan, along with other initiatives, will inform the development of resources to help public and private organizations provide information to assisted living consumers

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