Understanding the Definitions of Seniors Housing Facilities

For the purpose of categorization, seniors housing facilities are described as providing:

• Independent / Supportive Living;
• Assisted Living;
• Complex Care Services; or a
• Campus of Care (a combination of these services).

To better understand senior housing categories, think of each category as fitting into a region on a continuum that is defined by the type of care provided, with Independent Living on one end andextended or long-term Residential Care on the other.

Independent/Supportive Living >  Assisted Living > Complex Care > Campus of Care

Independent / Supportive Living

Independent / Supportive Living includes a combination of housing and hospitality services for retired adults who are capable of directing their own care. Housing units typically provide a combination of private living space with a lockable door, monitoring and emergency support, optional meal services, housekeeping, laundry, social and recreational opportunities. Housing units may be large or small in scale and may include rented, owned or life-leased options. The Independent / Supportive Living category includes privately owned, non-profit and subsidized housing options.

Assisted Living

Assisted Living residences offer housing, hospitality services and personal assistance to adults who can live independently but require regular help with daily activities. Accommodation can range from private rooms with lockable doors in a home, to an apartment-style building with private self-contained suites, usually their own bathrooms and cooking facilities. The residence provides a place where people can eat together and socialize. Assisted living operators provide five hospitality services: meals, housekeeping, laundry, social and recreational opportunities and a 24-hour emergency response system. Residents also receive personal assistance with activities of daily living, such as eating, dressing, bathing, grooming, mobility and reminders or assistance with medications. Assisted living is intended for people who are able to choose and direct the services they receive (often referred to as being able to make decisions on their own behalf or direct their own care). Assisted living services are delivered in both publicly funded residences (subsidized by VIHA and BC Housing) and in non-publicly funded (private pay) residences, in which residents are responsible for all costs. Some residences have both publicly funded and non-publicly funded units. By law, all Assisted Living residences must be registered with the Assisted Living Registrar.

Complex Care

Complex Care (Residential) units provide accommodation, care and supervision for retired adults who are no longer capable of directing their own day-to-day activities.

Complex Care settings typically provide a combination of housing and hospitality services, as well as extensive support services. These settings include intermediate care facilities, multilevel care facilities, extended care hospitals and private hospitals. Complex Care units must be licensed and services may be delivered by private or non-profit organizations. Some units offer government subsidized care options. Care levels are determined by the health care requirements of the individual and could include: Complex Care; Intermediate Care Levels I, II, III; Multi-level Care; Extended Care; Special Care; Palliative Care or Respite Care.

Campus of Care

Campus of Care is a site that offers Independent, Assisted Living and Complex Care housing in

one location. This structure allows an individual to move from one care option to the next as their
health needs change without having to move to a new facility. They may need to move, however,
to an area of the facility that corresponds with their new level of care.

(An excerpt from SENIOR LIVING HOUSING GUIDE; JAN 2008)