Document Actions
Idaho
A brief overview of assisted living in Idaho
What is it called?
- Residential Care or Assisted Living Facility
What services are provided?
- Assistance with activities of daily living
- Dietary services and eating assistance (including when a resident refuses to eat or follow a prescribed diet)
- Medication assistance
- Provision of privacy
- Social activities
- Supervision
- Telephone access, utilities, access to basic television
- Housekeeping services; laundry of linens owned by the facility
- Emergency transportation
- Supporting independence, dignity and honoring patient rights
Who can be admitted?
- Residents who require assistance with activities of daily living
- Residents who require medication assistance
- Residents who require supervision
- Residents who have needs that can be met in the facility
- Residents requiring assistance in ambulance, provided they reside on the first story of the facility (unless the facility complies with specific fire safety regulations)
- Residents requiring short-term mental health care, provided the facility obtains the appropriate license
Who is inappropriate?
- Who is inappropriate for admission?
- Adults who require on-going skilled nursing care
- Adults who require restraints, including bed rails
- Adults with stage 3 or stage 4 pressure sores, open wounds that are not healing, or draining wounds for which drainage cannot be contained
- Adults who require services that the facility is not licensed to provide or arrange
- Adults with needs that are incompatible with the level of fire safety provided by the facility
- Adults with needs that are not compatible with other residents
- Adults who are comatose, except for a resident who has been assessed by an authorized provider who has determined that death is likely to occur within 14 to 30 days
- Adults who are violent or dangerous to themselves or others
- Who can be evicted?
- Residents who require emergency transfer to protect themselves or other residents from harm
- Residents whose mental or medical conditions deteriorate such that they require a level of care beyond which the facility can provide (see "Who is inappropriate for admission")
- Residents whose needs can no longer be met by the facility due to changes in services (in house or contracted)
- Residents who fail to pay fees
What training is required for direct care staff?
- Initial training
- Minimum of 16 initial hours of job-related training, within 1 month of hire
- Continuing training
- 8 hours of continuing education per year
- Other requirements
- At least one staff member with current CPR certification must be on duty at all times
- Specialized training for staff at facilities admitting residents with diagnosis of dementia, mental illness, developmental disability, or traumatic brain injury (training must take place within 30 days of admitting a resident with these specialized needs)
Is nurse staffing required?
- A licensed nurse must visit the facility at least every 90 days or when there is a change in a resident's condition
- If the facility has a resident whose needs require a nurse, the facility must assure a licensed nurse is available to meet the needs of the resident
- In order to provide nursing services, the facility must have nursing personnel on staff or under contract
- Facility must assure that a licensed nurse is available to address the resident's health or mental status and to review and implement new orders prescribed by the resident's health care provider
Is any public payment available?
- Yes. A Medicaid state plan service and a Medicaid home and community-based services waiver reimburses for personal care.
For More Information See:
Department of Health and Welfare
(208) 334 - 6626
www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov
Idaho Long Term Care Ombudsman
(208) 334 - 3833
