What Is Level-Five Care in Assisted Living?

Level-five care in assisted living is one of the most intensive care types based on a sliding scale, where level one provides the fewest support services. No national regulations govern care levels in American assisted living communities; in many states, facilities can define these levels and what services they include. Therefore, the highest care level can vary between three and six. Individuals should always check that communities offer the services they need.

Level five often stands as the highest or second-to-highest care level in assisted living. It provides a wide range of services that often require greater caregiver attention and time. Seniors at this care level commonly need almost full support with several activities of daily living, which include:

• Dressing
• Eating
• Grooming, which includes personal hygiene activities, such as bathing, brushing the teeth and shaving
• Toileting, including getting to and from the bathroom, using the toilet, cleaning following toilet visits and continence care
• Transferring to and from the bed
• Moving throughout the facility, with or without mobility devices

Depending on state regulations, facility licenses and available services, level-five assisted living may also include:

• Medication management or administration
• Intermittent skilled nursing, such as wound care or pain management
• Physical, occupational or speech therapy
• Modified dining and therapeutic menus
• Specialized recreational programming

Residents receive services based on their personalized care plans, which staff members regularly update. As needs develop, seniors often need higher levels of care, which frequently involves a price increase. Facilities can’t support seniors whose requirements exceed their scope of care. This means that those receiving the highest level of care may need to move to a different type of care setting if their needs increase.