Assisted Living in Illinois

Agency: Department of Public Health, Division of Assisted Living
Phone: (217) 782-2913
Website: www.idph.state.il.us

An assisted living establishment provides community-based residential care for at least three unrelated adults (at least 80 percent of whom are 55 years of age or older) who need assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), including personal, supportive, and intermittent healthrelated services available 24-hours per day, if needed, to meet the scheduled and unscheduled needs of a resident. A shared housing establishment provides community-based residential care for 16 or fewer unrelated adults (at least 80 percent of whom are 55 years of age or older) who need assistance with housing, ADLs, and personal, supportive, and intermittent health-related services. This care must be available 24-hours per day, if needed, to meet the scheduled and unscheduled needs of a resident

Facility Scope of Care:
Facilities may provide general watchfulness and appropriate action to meet the needs of residents, exclusive of nursing care.

Move-In/Move-Out Requirements:
Residents who have serious mental or emotional problems, who are in need of nursing care, or who require total assistance with two or more ADLs may not be admitted or retained.

Resident Assessment:
A physician's assessment must be completed prior to a resident moving into any establishment. Re-evaluations must be completed at least annually. There is no required form but the assessment must include an evaluation of the individual's physical, cognitive, and psychosocial condition, and documentation of the presence or the absence of tuberculosis infection. Establishments may develop their own tools for evaluating residents. Documentation of evaluations and reevaluations may be in any form that is accurate, addresses the resident's condition, and incorporates the physician's assessment.

Medication Management:
All medications must be self-administered or administered by licensed personnel. Facility staff may give medication reminders and monitor residents to make sure they follow the directions on the container.

Physical Plant Requirements:
Assisted living and shared housing establishments must comply with National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code 101, Chapter 32 (New Residential Board & Care Occupancies), 2000 Edition, or Life Safety Code 101A , Chapters 6 (Evaluating Evacuation Capability) and 7 (Board and Care Occupancies), 2001 Edition.

Residents Allowed Per Room:
Assisted living and shared housing units are individual units except in cases in which residents choose to share a unit.

Life Safety:
Assisted living and shared housing establishments must comply with National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code 101, Chapter 32 (New Residential Board & Care Occupancies), 2000 Edition, or Life Safety Code 101A , Chapters 6 (Evaluating Evacuation Capability) and 7 (Board and Care Occupancies), 2001 Edition

Alzheimer's Unit Requirements:
An establishment offering to provide a special program for persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (among other things) must: (1) Disclose specified information to the Department of Public Health and to potential or actual residents; (2) Ensure a representative is designated for each resident; (3) Ensure the continued safety of all residents including, but not limited to, those who may wander and those who may need supervision and assistance during emergency evacuations; (4) Provide coordination of communications with each resident, resident's representative, relatives, and other persons identified in the resident's service plan; (5) Provide in the service plan appropriate cognitive stimulation and activities to maximize functioning; (6) Provide an appropriate number of staff for its resident population. (At least one staff member must be awake and on duty at all times.); and (7) Provide at least 1.4 hours of services per resident per day

Staff Training for Alzheimer's Care:
The manager of an establishment providing Alzheimer's care or the supervisor of an Alzheimer's program must be 21 years of age and have either (1) a college degree with documented course work in dementia care, plus one year of experience working with persons with dementia; or (2) at least two years of management experience with persons with dementia. The manager or supervisor must complete, in addition to other training requirements, six hours of annual continuing education regarding dementia care. All staff members must receive, in addition to other required training, four hours of dementia-specific orientation prior to assuming job responsibilities without direct supervision within the Alzheimer's/dementia program. Training must cover, at a minimum, the following topics: (1) basic information about the causes, progression, and management of Alzheimer's disease and other related dementia disorders; (2) techniques for creating an environment that minimizes challenging behavior; (3) identifying and alleviating safety risks to residents with Alzheimer's disease; (4) techniques for successful communication with individuals with dementia; and (5) resident rights. Direct care staff must receive 16 hours of on-the-job supervision and training within the first 16 hours of employment following orientation. Training must cover: (1) encouraging independence in and providing assistance with ADLs; (2) emergency and evacuation procedures specific to the dementia population; (3) techniques for creating an environment that minimizes challenging behaviors; (4) resident rights and choice for persons with dementia, working with families, and caregiver stress; and (5) techniques for successful communication. Direct care staff must annually complete 12 hours of in-service education regarding Alzheimer's disease and other related dementia disorders. (For more detail, see the Continuing Education Requirements section.)

Staffing Requirements:
A full-time manager must be employed along with staff sufficient in number and qualification. Staff must be on duty all hours of each day to provide services that meet the scheduled and unscheduled needs of the residents. There must be a minimum of one CPR-certified staff member awake and on duty at all times in assisted living establishments.

Staff Education Training:
All personnel must have training and/or experience in the job assigned to them. An ongoing in-service training program is required to ensure staff have the necessary skills to perform job duties

Medicaid Policy and Reimbursements:
Illinois' Supportive Living Program operates under a 1915(c) Home and Community-Based Services Medicaid waiver and has authority to serve up to 11,500 persons each year. In 2010, there were 123 operating Supportive Living Facilities (SLFs) with a total of about 9,700 apartments and another 37 sites with about 3,800 apartments under development. SLFs are certified and inspected by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which administers the state Medicaid program.