Office of the Assisted Living Registrar

Entering an Assisted Living Residence

Assisted living operators must operate residences in a way that does not jeopardize the health or safety of the residents. Operators cannot house people who are unable to make decisions on their own behalf. Therefore operators of publicly subsidized and private-pay residences must screen residents for the ability to make the decisions necessary to function safely in assisted living.

Assisted living is intended for people who are able to choose and direct the personal assistance services they need. Operators must fully inform prospective residents about the services available in the residence. It is then up to the prospective resident and the operator (and, in a publicly subsidized residence, the case manager) to decide whether the operator can meet the resident’s service needs and the resident can live safely in the residence.

Read the OALR’s policy regarding entry to and exit from assisted living here >

Case Manager’s Role

Health authority case managers assess individuals who wish to enter a publicly subsidized assisted living residence and refer eligible people to residences that may be of interest. A case manager may also be involved if a person who already has a case manager when living in the community enters a private-pay assisted living residence.

Operator’s Role

Operators must ensure that prospective residents are eligible for assisted living and appropriate for the services offered and features of the particular residence. They must screen residents for entry and exit from the residence, and typically use a questionnaire to gather information.

At the time of entry, operators must also tell prospective residents about:

• the need to be able to make decisions in certain key areas of function.
• the hospitality and personal assistance services offered.
• features of the residence that accommodate people with physical disabilities.
• the emergency response system.
• the residence’s evacuation plan.

Resident’s Role

Assisted living residents need to be able to:

• determine whether they are able to manage on their own in the supportive environment of the assisted living residence;
• make decisions about the services they will receive;
• function safely when they are alone in their assisted living units, including recognizing an emergency and calling for help or following directions;
• name a person the operator can contact if there are concerns about their ability to function safely in assisted living.

Before moving in, residents also need to agree to seek other accommodation if they are no longer able to make decisions that allow them to function safely in assisted living.

Living in an Assisted Living Residence

Assisted living operators must ensure that assisted living services are delivered in a way that does not jeopardize residents’ health and safety. Residents may continue to reside in assisted living as long as they:

• continue to be able to make decisions related to key areas of function, in order to live safely in the semi-independent environment of the assisted living residence — unless a spouse lives with the resident and is willing and able to make decisions on their behalf;
• continue to be able to express their wishes so as to be understood by staff or by a spouse living with them who can communicate with staff on their behalf;
• do not behave in a way that jeopardizes the health and safety of others; and
• as long as their care needs do not exceed what can be provided in assisted living.

Operators must take reasonable ongoing steps to assure themselves that residents meet the above criteria.

Temporary Changes in Health

If a resident encounters a brief episode of decreased physical or mental functioning (while recovering from an injury, an acute illness or an exacerbation of a chronic illness) and can remain safely in an assisted living residence, the operator may assist the resident and their family to arrange for professional care on a short-term basis. In most instances, including early discharge from an acute care hospital, the health authority may provide home care nursing services, just as for any other person living in their own home in the community.

Similarly, short-term professional care may be provided to residents who require palliative care or, as set out in an exit plan, to those who are awaiting transfer to a community care facility.

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