title: Assisted living pilot program: background, methods, and facility characteristics.
abstract: Objectives. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) funded assisted living (AL), adult family home (AFH), and residential care for the first time in the Assisted Living Pilot Program (ALPP). This article describes the background and methods of the ALPP evaluation and the characteristics and experiences of the facilities. Method. Facility data were collected from the contracting/inspection process and a survey of ALPP facilities and those contacted but not participating in ALPP. Results. Data on 131 participating facilities are presented: 41 AFHs, 47 assisted living facilities (ALFs), and 43 residential care facilities (RCFs). The average facility had 33 beds (about one quarter Medicaid beds), for-profit ownership, and private rooms for ALPP residents, and about half had private baths. About two thirds of ALPP AFH providers spoke a primary language other than English. Discussion. Findings indicate that a wide range of community facilities were willing to provide care to residents with heterogeneous needs on VA funding.
authors.affiliation: Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital and Northwestern University. marylou.guihan@va.gov
authors.forename: Marylou
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guihan
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Floss J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Mambourg
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Michael K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Chapko
authors.forename: Susan C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Hedrick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D040561:Assisted Living Facilities; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012112:Residential Facilities; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D014728:Veterans