What’s the Difference Between Personal Care and Assisted Living?

What’s the Difference Between Personal Care and Assisted Living?

By Team Writer | May 14, 2024

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Options for care in senior living communities vary from state to state, but in the Commonwealth of Kentucky the choices are unique. In Kentucky, those options include not only assisted living but a more medically intense option called personal care. Although assisted living and personal care have many aspects in common, they also have distinct differences that can help seniors choose which is the best choice for them.

The similarities between personal care and assisted living

Both assisted living and personal care offer seniors a warm and welcoming home where they can age safely. Both also offer assistance with activities of daily living – like bathing dressing, grooming, and feeding – that residents might need to remain healthy and independent. This help is provided with respect and dignity and the amount can be increased or decreased as required. Similarly, assisted living and personal care communities typically also offer a range of services that usually include 24/7 staffing, housekeeping, safety and security measures, laundry, and transportation to shopping, events and places of interest, and appointments. 

Because both assisted living and personal care are provided in a community setting, residents of each also enjoy the important benefit of socialization, something that experts know is essential to good health and longevity. According to the National Institute on Aging article, “Social isolation, loneliness in older people pose health risks,” seniors who lack adequate socialization are at increased risk for a variety of physical and mental health conditions including:

• Hypertension
• Heat disease
• Obesity
• A weakened immune system
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Cognitive decline
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Premature death

Great nutrition is another aspect shared by assisted living and personal care communities. While it can be difficult to get good nutritious meals when living at home, seniors in senior living benefit from three hot meals every day served restaurant-style in a dining room where they can enjoy not only great food but the company of friends as well. 

Other commonalities may include the choice of private and semi-private apartments and floor plans, common areas indoors and outdoors, a beauty salon and barbershop, a wellness center, personal call systems, amenities like wireless Internet, libraries with computers, cable television, and a daily calendar of fun, engaging and healthful activities and events. At Presbyterian Homes of Kentucky, we also offer our residents pastoral care and an onsite chapel for their personal use.

The differences between personal care and assisted living

According to the kentuckyseniorliving.org article “Consumer FAQs,” the primary difference between assisted living and personal care is that while assisted living adheres to a “social model,” personal care follows a “medical model.” What this means is that although residents of assisted living communities may have medical issues, they are able to manage them without assistance from staff, while residents of personal care communities need daily assistance from medical care professionals to remain healthy and safe. 

For example, personal care communities in Kentucky can store and dispense medications, while assisted living communities cannot. In general, residents of personal care communities can also receive medical testing and nursing services that are not provided in assisted living. In short, residents of personal care communities are generally more medically fragile and require some level of medical care in addition to all the services and amenities defined above.

At Presbyterian Homes of Kentucky, we also provide a wellness center and on-site rehabilitation services to conveniently meet the special medical needs of our personal care residents. Our licensed professional medical staff members work closely with residents’ physicians to coordinate care and help them enjoy a fulfilling and independent lifestyle.

Choosing between assisted living and personal care

Since both assisted living and personal care offer residents a high level of independence and autonomy it can be difficult to decide which is the best fit. For many seniors, however, the deciding factor is often their need for hands-on medical care. For example, medication management, rehabilitation following an illness or injury, or other medical care needs will dictate which is the best choice. 

At Presbyterian Homes of Kentucky, we make the decision easy because we offer a continuum of care that includes assisted living, personal care, skilled nursing care and respite care so our residents can receive the right type of care as it is needed, either short- or long-term. We strive to create an inclusive atmosphere of friendship and respect while providing excellent care with compassion and empathy for every resident. 

To learn more about the options available to seniors at Presbyterian Homes of Kentucky check out our beautiful communities and contact us to schedule a tour.