COVID-19 Recommendations for Assisted Living: Implications for the Future

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Assisted living (AL) emerged as a key residential care option for older adults needing support.
• Increasing resident acuity raises concerns about ALs' capacity to meet complex health needs.
• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and amplified these concerns regarding health care delivery in AL settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review COVID-19 recommendations for AL and compare them with those for nursing homes (NHs).
• To assess the implications of these recommendations for the future of health care and quality of life in AL.
• To identify potential improvements in AL services based on pandemic-related guidance.

Main Methods:

• A nonsystematic review of gray literature was conducted.
• Recommendations from six key organizations concerning COVID-19 in AL, general long-term care facilities (LTCFs), and NHs were collected.
• Recommendations were categorized and summarized based on their relevance to resident health and quality of life.

Main Results:

• Many recommendations for AL and NHs were similar, indicating shared challenges in long-term care.
• Key differences included recommendations for more flexible visitation and group activities in AL.
• AL facilities were advised to integrate health care services, utilize screening, and facilitate advance care planning, often with external clinical support.

Conclusions:

• The pandemic necessitates modifications to current long-term care models.
• COVID-19 recommendations suggest that AL communities would benefit from enhanced integration of psychosocial and medical care.
• Future research should explore innovative models for integrated, interdisciplinary health care delivery within AL settings.