How Wisconsin Defines Assisted Living

I’m all for states creating and maintaining a unique identity, and for them to be self-governing and regulating, for the most part. However, when it comes to assisted living, the lack of a ‘national standard’ for assisted living, how it’s is defined, regulated and what it offers can lead to quite a bit of confusion.

Return to or visit our Wisconsin assisted living section.

This may be especially the case for people, often the children of aging parents, who are researching care remotely from another state. They may be well versed on their own territory’s assisted living industry, but it may be quite different for the state or city that they are researching for mom or dad.

Wisconsin is unique. Often times, facilities don’t even use the words ‘assisted living’ in their names or marketing. This may be largely due to Wisconsin having several distinct ‘subcategories’ under the umbrella of assisted living, each quite different from the others.

The Categories of Assisted Living in Wisconsin:

Definitions and Categories of Assisted Living in Wisconsin

If you visit the State of Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services website, and choose the county you are researching in, a list of 4 .pdf documents for each of the categories (Adult Day Care Programs, Adult Family Homes, Community Based Residential Facilities and Residential Care Apartment Complexes) will be available, which include very comprehensive lists of facilities, including costs (low to high), services offered, facility capacities and more.

http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/bqaconsumer/AssistedLiving/AsLivDirs.htm

Or, you can see the state’s Glossary of Terms for assisted living here:

http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/bqaconsumer/AssistedLiving/glossary.htm