What is assisted living?
Why live in an assisted living facility?
What is the Assisted Living Waiver Pilot Project (ALWPP)?
How did the Assisted Living Waiver Pilot Project (ALWPP) develop?
What services do participants receive?
Who is eligible to apply?
Who provides services to the project’s participants?
What is assisted living?
Assisted living is a residential long-term care setting where personal care, oversight and other supportive services are provided to or coordinated for residents. These services are designed to meet the residents’ regularly scheduled needs, as determined through an assessment and care planning process, and their unscheduled needs, which may arise at any time. Other services provided in an assisted living facility include 24-hour awake staff, health-related services as allowed by regulation, recreational activities, social services, meals, housekeeping and laundry services, and transportation. (Note: Assisted living is not defined as a category of care in the State of California.)
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Why live in an assisted living facility?
Assisted living is intended to provide options for frail older adults and individuals with disabilities who want to remain in a community-based setting. Residents in an assisted living facility are able to grow old in that facility. If a resident needs personal care and assistance, the resident receives the services s/he needs at the facility, without having to move to a nursing home. Assisted living is designed to maximize the resident’s independence and dignity.
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What is the Assisted Living Waiver Pilot Project (ALWPP)?
The Assisted Living Waiver Pilot Project (ALWPP) is a three-year demonstration project designed to test whether assisted living as a Medi-Cal benefit could be an effective alternative to long-term placement in a nursing home in California. Services are provided to Medi-Cal eligible individuals who have been determined to need the level of care provided in a nursing home and are willing to reside in a participating assisted living provider setting. The services are paid for through a waiver, a process by which the federal government allows the State to use Medicaid dollars to provide community-based services to individuals who might otherwise receive care in a nursing home. At the end of three years, a report will be presented to the Legislature that will analyze the cost-effectiveness of the project, the quality of services provided and the potential for continuing and/or expanding the project.
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How did the Assisted Living Waiver Pilot Project (ALWPP) develop?
The California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 499 in 2000 requiring the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to develop and implement assisted living as a Medi-Cal waiver benefit. The Legislature wanted to test whether assisted living could be an effective alternative to long-term placement in a nursing home. DHS was asked to implement the assisted living benefit in two different types of settings—Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs) and public housing sites.
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What services do participants receive?
Everyone enrolled in the Assisted Living Waiver Pilot Project (ALWPP) is assessed by a R.N. Care Coordinator. Based on the results of the assessment, the Care Coordinator, the service provider and the participant develop a service plan to meet the participant’s needs. A resident’s service plan may include the following services:
- Personal Care Services
- Homemaker and Chore Services
- Medication Administration
- Transportation
- Intermittent Skilled Nursing Care
- Recreational and Social Services
- Support to Transition from a Nursing Home to an Assisted Living Facility
- Environmental Accessibility Adaptations
- Consumer Education
- Interpretation and Translation Services
Anyone 21 years of age or older who is eligible for Medi-Cal who has been determined to need the level of care provided in a skilled nursing or intermediate care facility is eligible to apply.
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Who provides services to the project’s participants?
Participants who reside in a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) receive services from the RCFE. Participants who reside in a public housing site receive services from a Medi-Cal Licensed Home Health Agency. Care Coordination is provided by Care Coordination agencies that contract with the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).
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