When looking for senior living facilities, be sure that you understand the difference between an Assisted Living facility and a nursing home. An assisted living facility is geared mostly toward seniors who need a little assistance with daily living activities but who are still able to live independently.

Such services with daily living activity help may include, but is not limited to:

• Dressing

• Bathing

• Housekeeping

• Help dispensing medications

While seniors living in an assisted living facility need some help, they typically maintain a great deal of independence in their daily life, including the ability to come and go as they please.

A nursing home, on the other hand, is meant to care for residents that require help in most aspects of their daily lives. They are unable, either due to medical or mental challenges, unable to care for themselves independently. Most people look at assisted living as the middle ground between total independence and full-time care.

When seeking an assisted living facility, take a look at the plans that the facility offers. Most assisted living facilities are part of either independent senior communities or nursing homes. Residents are often given the choice of either living in an apartment style setting or in independent cottages on the property of an assisted living facility.

In such assisted living facilities, residents are monitored to ensure adequate care. They are generally able to keep pace with increasing needs of seniors up to a point where the resident needs physical help in locomotion, health care, i.e. medications and treatments, and transportation to and from meals, and social activities.

Assisted living facilities are also an option for seniors who wish to remain independent, and yet don't want the financial or physical burden of taking care of a home. These seniors also feel more comfortable living among others of their age group and interests, and feel safe within an assisted living environment.

When seeking the right assisted living facility for yourself or a loved one heading into that transition period, there are several things to keep in mind. For example:

• Does the facility offer cooked meals?

• Do they allow residents to keep pets?

• Can residents come and go as they please, or park a car on the property?

Of course, financial issues are uppermost in most senior's minds, such as the monthly cost of living in the facility, rate increases, what is included in monthly charges and what services are provided for various cost plans.

Most assisted living facilities should have some sort of exercise room, a common area for residents to gather and socialize, community excursions, and regularly scheduled events.

Other considerations are amenities, such as adequate heating and air conditioning, television, and telephones in every room, as well as refrigerators and stoves, if the senior decides on a cottage.

Staffing at an assisted living facility is also an important factor when it comes to making the right choice. Ensure that a registered nurse and physician are either on the premises or on-call 24/7. Nursing aides to help those residents who require it should be at an acceptable ratio of residents to aides.

As with any decision regarding living arrangements that seniors must eventually face, information is the key to making a wise and educated choice. Take the time to research, compare and ask questions.