Long-term Care

What is Long-term Care?

Long-term care includes services to meet a person's health or personal care needs. These services help people live as independently and safely as possible when they can no longer perform everyday activities on their own.

Most people want to age safely in their own home, but that needs to be weighed against possible risks. Will there be access to caregivers? Can the home be made safe?

Even though a move into senior housing requires some personal disruption, it can bring many advantages. It can provide a rich social life, nutritious meals, housekeeping, and an end to domestic chores like shoveling snow.

Friendships, fun exercise programs, and group excursions into the community are part of the active and independent lifestyle found in senior communities.

UR Medicine's Approach

Home Care

UR Medicine Home Care offers help following an illness, injury, or hospitalization—services such as personal care assistance, rehabilitation, skilled nursing, wound care, intravenous medication therapy, Meals-on-Wheels, and hospice care.

You might also consider Adult Day Care, which offers a change of scene for older adults and respite for their caregivers.

Long-Term Care Facilities

The range of housing options and varying levels of care offered within senior communities help ensure that every older adult can find a match for their housing needs and lifestyle. Options include:

Independent Living Apartments

This is an ideal choice for older adults who don’t need personal or medical care but who would like to live with others who share similar interests. In most independent living facilities, older adults can take advantage of planned community events, field trips, shopping excursions, and on-premise projects. These apartments are not licensed or regulated.

Adult Homes

Adult homes are licensed and regulated for temporary or long-term residence by adults unable to live independently. They usually include supervision, personal care, housekeeping, and three meals a day.

Enriched Housing

Similar to adult homes, but enriched housing offers living in independent housing units. They offer a minimum of one meal per day and are licensed by the State Department of Health.

Family-Type Homes

These offer long-term residential care, housekeeping, and supervision for four or fewer adults unrelated to the operator. The department of Social Services oversees their operations.

Assisted Living

Assisted living communities are a long-term care option for older adults who may not be safe living alone and would benefit from help with managing medication, preparing meals, housekeeping, transportation, and personal care such as bathing or dressing. Some assisted living options offer enhanced care, which can provide more help with mobility or medical needs.

Assisted Living Program (ALP)

Some assisted living communities have been certified to have a portion of their beds covered by the Assisted Living Program through New York State. This is an excellent alternative to nursing homes for those who need help with their daily routines, but who do not need 24-hour care. Room, board, meals, and case management are covered by Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and skilled nursing services are covered by Medicaid and are provided by an outside agency.

Continuing Care Retirement Communities (Lifecare Communities)

These communities range from assisted living to nursing homes, all on one campus. They guarantee “aging in place,” so residents can move from one level of care to the next as needs change.

For residents, the transition to a nursing home is often easier because they can remain in familiar surroundings. They may require buy-in, or an up-front annuity purchase followed by monthly payments.

Nursing Homes (Skilled Nursing Facility)

Nursing homes offer around-the-clock care for those who can no longer live independently. In nursing homes, trained medical professionals provide specialized care to seniors with severe illnesses or injuries.

Specially trained staff assist residents with daily activities such as bathing, eating, and housekeeping. They may specialize in short-term or acute nursing and rehabilitative care, intermediate care, or long-term skilled nursing care.

To learn more:

What Sets Us Apart?

UR Medicine offers the region’s premier health services for older adults. UR Medicine Geriatrics Group is comprised of more than 40 health care professionals including physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who are experts at managing the often complex care of older adults.

We provide on-site medical care to residents at partner nursing homes, and we make house calls to residents at partner senior living communities in and around the Rochester area.

Through our shared vision and collaboration with interprofessional teams, we ensure that patients receive the highest quality care and seamless transitions.