Alabama's assisted living regulations set standards for the upkeep of a facility and the care of its residents.
Alabama's assisted living facilities provide residents with basic assistance for daily living and maintenance of their health and well-being. The state's assisted living regulations are intended to provide residents with a safe and comfortable environment while ensuring that they receive the care and assistance they require. Regulations cover areas ranging from physical facility requirements to standards of resident care.
Admission
Adults who may be admitted into an assisted living facility in Alabama include those who require assistance when performing their daily activities but don't have chronic conditions that demand intensive daily medical care. Adults with serious cognitive impairments and those who are prone to actions necessitating their restraint may not be admitted into an assisted living facility. Adults who have a terminal illness requiring hospital care may be admitted into an assisted living facility as long as they don't have dementia. Such residents may be admitted into a facility designated as a specialty care facility.
Daily Care
Facility personnel are responsible for observing their residents' general health and transferring them to a medical facility if they develop conditions beyond the assisted living facility's treatment capability. Residents must be assisted with bathing, oral hygiene and grooming when needed and must be assisted in keeping their appointments. Facility personnel must serve residents meals in their rooms when they're unable to dine in the common area.
Facilities
Residents' bedrooms must have at least one window and must be directly connected to a corridor. Facilities must provide well-lit rooms with comfortable furniture apart from residents' bedrooms for private visits with family. Recreational rooms must be large enough to accommodate group activities without crowding and be comfortably furnished. There must be smoke detectors in every bedroom, activity room and corridor; they must be tested monthly. If a smoke detector is defective, it must be replaced within 24 hours.
Licensing
The Alabama State Board of Health can grant a new facility a regular or probationary license. The board grants a regular license when it determines that the facility operators have the capability to adhere to assisted living facility standards and are reasonably likely to do so. A probationary license is granted when the board determines that the operators' ability to maintain standards is questionable but that the residents' welfare is unlikely to be endangered during the one-year probationary period.
Medications
Alabama permits assisted living facility residents who are aware and capable of tending to their medication needs to administer their own medication. Any facility personnel can assist patients with medication as far as opening bottles or removing pills from packaging, but only individuals licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy in Alabama may administer medication to residents. Medication storage areas must be locked when not in use.
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