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Alternative Living Environments Facilities Selection Paper, Part 1

Name

University of Phoenix

GHA/548

Dr. S. Seward

August 7, 2023

Alternative Living Environments Facilities Selection Paper, Part 1

Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) offers long-term support and services for people with
intellectual disabilities or related conditions. Therefore, one of the demographics of the
community is adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (Morantz & Ross, 2022).
The second demographic is people with mental health problems who also suffer from chronic
health conditions and need assistance to remain functional and safe (Lambert, 2022). The final
demographic is older adults who have chronic or neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s
disease and who need assistance with mobility, bathing, and dressing. These facilities are
confused with nursing homes or skilled nursing facilities. They do more for rehabilitated living
and do not focus on the medical portion of the patients care. The ICF houses adults who are
mentally disable and need assistance and monitoring on a daily basis. There are different types of
ICF’s in the state of Florida. There are 38 six-bed homes that are located in a residential
neighborhood. These homes are set up similar to group homes and the residents are involved in
the community activities. There are 27 cluster facilities which are three homes located close to
each other but with separate living units. Each home has private and semi-private rooms.
Clusters provide extensive medical and rehabilitation services to people who are medically
fragile. There are 6 campuses called the 64 Bed Campus that has 4 separate living units that have
private and semi-private rooms, with a total of 64 available beds (Association of Rehabilitation
Facilities, 2023).

Reason(s) for Selecting IFC including Family and Provider

Roles
We selected ICF because we want to know more about it in terms of the care it provides and the
populations that it serves. Most people are unaware of this facility and if they do, they confuse it
with skilled nursing facilities hence the need to research it and understand it. We also chose it to
explain the role of nurses in providing optimum holistic care to the demographics listed above so
that the facility can be properly understood. It felt that all the other alternative living options
have been adequately discussed in the literature and people understand them.

The care of individuals in ICF is under the direction of a physician. They provide basic care
related to activities of daily living such as administering medications and helping individuals to
return to an independent environment. Medication administration and management are important
aspects of care for patients in ICF (White, 2022). Providers have an important role to play since
they typically work directly with the patients at ICF and oversee any nursing or medical care.
They ensure that the care is provided competently. The providers observe, assess and treat
individuals and they focus on maintenance rather than rehabilitation. The family provides
emotional support, assists in decision-making and any other activities that are important to the
well-being of the ICF residents. Florida Mentor offers individuals and their families services and
support that will lead to growth and independence of the patient no matter what the physical,
intellectual or behavioral challenges that individual may have. Their ICF facilities offer patient
personalized support through community-based ICFs or group homes as most commonly
referred to. There they help the adults become more independent along with the ability to grow
and thrive in their community (Florida Mentor, n.d.).

Available Resources for Patient, Family, and Provider

There are several resources available for patients, families, and providers. The patients have
access to medical care, recreational activities, personal care services, and social support. They
may also have access to specialized training programs that help with training programs for
developing skills to help them live independently. There are also resources for families such as
the National Institute on Aging which provides information to families on how they can find ICF
and how to pay for them. It also provides information on what families can expect when their
loved ones are in an ICF. Some of the resources that are offered through Florida Mentor’s
ICF’s are expert clinical support and compassion from the team of professionals. They will
have personalized services and around the clock emergency medical support in a place they call
home. Some of the services offered are life skills assistance such as cooking, activities of daily
living pertaining to hygiene, cooking and cleaning. Social skills are implemented including
participation in community events and other structured activities. The program offers
coordination of medical and professional services that include medication management and
transportation service (Florida Mentor, n.d.).

Organizational/Corporate and Leadership Structure

The organizational structure of ICFs varies depending on the type of facility and services that
they provide. However, most ICFs are hierarchical with an administrator or a director at the top.
The director is then assisted by department heads, then supervisors, and physicians. The
corporate structure in ICFs is one that holds directors or administrators accountable for staff and
processes and continuously improving operations to benefit their residents. Usually, a board of
directors oversees all aspects of the corporate culture. Effective leadership is crucial in delivering
services in ICF and is therefore needed at operational and senior levels. The leadership at these
facilities consists of clinical coordinators working hand in hand with nurses, registered and
LPN’s, program directors, human resources, occupational and speech therapist and life skills
training supervisors (Florida Mentor, n.d.).

Location and Other Types of Living Environments Available

in the Community. ICFs are found in every state as an
alternative to home and community-based services for the
aforementioned demographics. The demographics found in
an ICF are not a representation of the community since
there are only a few elderly people who need assistance to do
daily activities, a few people with mental illnesses, and a few
people with intellectual disabilities. These facilities are
sometimes located next to skilled nursing facilities and an
assisted living community so that residents get to live in a
community of their peers. They can also access 24/7 medical
care from the medical facilities around them. Transportation
is available in the facilities, and this eases the burden on
families when they have to transport their loved ones to the
facility. It also makes the work of caregivers easy since they
can effectively cater to their needs.
One available living environment in the community is assisted living facility (ALF) which
provides care and support to the elderly who require assistance with daily activities (June et al .,
2022). Although they may offer similar services, especially when it comes to attending to the
elderly, they are very different. While ICF provides facilities and intensive services that are
restorative, preventive, and supportive, ALF’s are for those who are getting older and these
facilities have minimal nursing care but help residents with daily activities. They provide a more
home-like environment for the elderly who need help with daily activities such as dressing, and
medication management. ICFs are for people who cannot take care of themselves due to mental
or physical disabilities without custodial or nursing care and are typically in a house or cluster of
houses. The demographic population of these group homes are younger than the population that
live in ALF’s.

Marketing . To market the facility, one factor that is considered is the target audience which in
this case includes the elderly who need medical care, people with mental retardation, and those
with intellectual disabilities. ICF markets itself by advertising in local newspapers, or social
media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. It also reaches out to local healthcare facilities
and doctors’ offices to let them know about the services offered and to encourage them to
refer patients who may need their services there. It also markets itself by offering tours to
potential residents and their families.

References
Association of Rehabilitation Facilities. (2023). Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with
Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IIDs): Community Residential Living.
https://www.floridaarf.org/category/62/ICF-IID-Info.html

Florida Mentor. (n.d.). Intermediate Care Facilities.

https://flmentor.com/adult-services/intermediate-care-facilities/

June, J. W., Dobbs, D., Molinari, V., Meng, H., Bowblis, J. R., & Hyer, K. (2022). Factors
associated with assisted living facility closure. The Gerontologist , 62(2), 181-189.

Lambery, A. (2022). What’s an intermediate care facility? Pros, cons + costs.

https://www.joincake.com/blog/intermediate-care-facility/#h_3304481122316371142738

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Morantz, A., & Ross, L. (2022). Intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual
disabilities: Does ownership type affect quality of care? Intellectual and Developmental
Disabilities, 60(3), 212-225.

White, A. (2022). The nurse’s role in an intermediate care facility (ICF). Nursing Central .
https://nursingcecentral.com/intermediate-care-facility