Dear Cindy – LPN Interested in Assisted Living (Too/Two)

I am an LPN. I have worked long-term care and am currently in a pediatric office. I am considering a change to assisted living. I left long-term care, because I could not take the med-cart anymore. I spent, at the very least, three-quarters of the day giving meds from this cart, thinking, "I did not become a nurse just to give meds." My question is: How are meds handled in assisted living?

Sincerely,

J

Giving meds would be part of your job, but probably not that big a part.

As we wrote in an earlier query, "Assisted living fits between independent living at home and the skilled medical care or daily nursing services provided in a nursing home. As such, assisted living facilities are for people who are able to care for themselves, except for a few activities. That is, they may use wheelchairs, walkers, or other ambulatory devices, and require supportive care with daily living, such as bathing, dressing, or toileting. Also, they may need medication management, or may have cognitive impairments that require supervision and cueing about daily routines. The majority of assisted living residents are elderly, with the typical American in assisted living described as "… a woman in her eighties … [who] is either widowed or single."

So you could have residents who have no need for medication assistance and some who do. However, it's highly unlikely that the majority of your job would be delivering meds.

The easy way to find out would be to ask during an interview about the needs of the population at the facility, and to ask for a breakdown of typical daily duties.

Good luck!