Assessments of residents in Assisted Living Centers

The position of the licensed nurse in an Assisted Living Center comes with a lot of autonomy and requires the discipline of a self starter. How to integrate assessment skills with the requirements of an assisted living is challenging for nurses who enter the field without the experience of well developed critical thinking. Assessment of a resident needs to include information from family members, the resident, the resident's physician, case manager and the licensed nurse. The assessment is pivoted around what makes up the resident's life, not just a head to toe physical assessment. The question that needs to be answered is "Can the facility meet the needs of the resident in a manner that provides the highest quality of life for that resident?" Combining all the information regarding a resident and developing a service plan that identifies what services the resident needs and wants, at the time he or she wants, in the manner he or she wants, determines if the resident's needs will just be met or if the needs will be met in an atmosphere that validates the person and supports their rights.