The Assisted Living Waiver Pilot Project (ALWPP) defines assisted living based on the standards set by the national Assisted Living Workgroup (ALW). The Assisted Living Workgroup was formed at the request of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging and was comprised of nearly 50 organizations representing providers, consumers, long-term care and health care professionals, regulators and accrediting bodies. The ALW created guidelines for federal and state policy, state regulation, and operations for assisted living. Its final was submitted to the Committee on Aging in April of 2003. The report defined assisted living as follows:
“Assisted living is a state regulated and monitored residential long-term care option. Assisted living provides or coordinates oversight and services to meet the residents’ individualized scheduled needs, based on the residents’ assessments and service plans and their unscheduled needs as they arise.
Services that are required by state law and regulations to be provided or coordinated must include, but are not limited to:
- 24-hour awake staff to provide oversight and meet the scheduled and unscheduled needs
- Provision and oversight personnel and supportive services (assistance with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living)
- Health related services (e.g., medication management services)
- Social services
- Recreational activities
- Meals
- Housekeeping and laundry
- Transportation
A resident has the right to make choices and receive services in a way that will promote the resident’s dignity, autonomy, independence, and quality of life. These services are disclosed and agreed to in the contract between the provider and resident. Assisted living does not generally provide ongoing, 24-hour skilled nursing.
Assisted living units are private occupancy and shared only by the choice of residents (e.g., by spouses, partners or friends).”
