If you are planning a move to assisted living in Florida, you’ve likely been asked to provide a Form 1823. Form 1823 is published by The Agency for Health Care Administration, the government entity that regulates assisted living communities. Form 1823, otherwise known as the Resident Health Assessment for Assisted Living Facilities, is used to establish eligibility for assisted living services.

Is Form 1823 Required for Admissions to Assisted Living?

Assisted living is a long-term care option for people who need personal care support, but not everyone qualifies. A completed Form 1823 is required to be admitted to an assisted living facility in Florida.

In Florida, assisted living facilities are responsible for “determining the appropriateness of admission for individuals seeking assisted living services.”

According to Chapter 429 of the 2020 Florida Statutes, assisted living residents must have been examined by a licensed physician, a licensed physician assistant, or a licensed advanced practice registered nurse within 60 days before admission to the facility or within 30 days after admission to the facility. The information from the medical examination must be recorded on the practitioner’s form or on a form adopted by agency rule.

Form 1823 is also used by health care professionals to establish how much assistance an individual needs with everyday tasks known as activities of daily living.

What Are Activities of Daily Living?

Activities of daily living, also called ADLs, are skills that people must have to remain fully independent and healthy. Health care professionals use them to assess a person’s level of independence and loss of physical and cognitive functioning.

An assessment of an individual’s ADLs is a fundamental part of Form 1823’s functional assessment and used as a tool to measure a person’s need for assistance in completing essential activities like eating and bathing.

In addition to assisted living services, many organizations, including Medicare, use activities of daily living (ADLs) as a basis for determining eligibility for services. Private long-term care insurance providers also rely on ADL assessments to determine eligibility for benefits.

There are seven categories of activities of daily living that are assessed in Form 1823. These include:

1. Ambulation/Mobility – the ability to stand from a sitting position and get in and out of bed
2. Bathing – the ability to bathe and clean yourself
3. Dressing – the ability to dress and undress yourself
4. Eating – the ability to eat and feed yourself with utensils
5. Self-care – the ability to groom yourself, including nail and oral hygiene
6. Toileting – the ability to get on and off the toilet and clean yourself
7. Transferring – the ability to move from a bed to a wheelchair

The form also includes eligibility criteria based on a person’s ability to self-administer prescribed medications.

Where Can I Find Form 1823?

If you are considering assisted living, Florida-based Sonata Senior Living recommends printing the form and taking it to a physician. While most physicians will already have access to the form, bringing the form to your loved one’s routine doctor’s appointment will help expedite the process.

An updated AHCA Form 1823 was published in April 2021. You may request Form 1823 from one of Sonata Senior Living’s assisted living communities. Form 1823 is also available online here.

If you don’t have a printer, simply ask your physician to complete it for you or request a home visit from Sonata Senior Living.

Changes To Form 1823

If you have a loved in already residing in assisted living, any changes to their medical history must be documented in Form 1823.

Florida Administrative Code states that an assisted living resident must have a face-to-face medical examination by a health care provider at least every three years to meet the continued residency criteria.

A sudden change in health status caused by a stroke, fall or other medical emergency may mean your loved one no longer qualifies for assisted living services. In this case, a new Form 1823 is also required to remain eligible.

If a loved one’s level of independence declines as a result of a progressive disease such as Alzheimer’s or dementia, a physician may recommend a higher level of care known as memory care assisted living.

Eligibility For Assisted Living

Assisted living admission eligibility depends on the type of license each facility has and a comprehensive review of the individual’s physical and functional status.

According to Florida’s Compendium of Residential Care and Assisted Living Regulations and Policy, facilities must determine the appropriateness of admission and retention based on its ability to meet an individual’s needs.

“To be admitted and retained, an individual must be capable of performing ADLs, including transfers, with supervision or assistance; not require 24-hour nursing supervision; be free of Stage II, III, or IV pressure sores; be able to participate in social and leisure activities; be ambulatory; and not display violent behavior or be a danger to self or others.”

Admission eligibility may change over time. For example, in standard and limited nursing services (LNS) facilities, people who become bedridden more than 7 days or develop a need for 24-hour nursing supervision may no longer be eligible for assisted living.

It is important to share your concerns with your loved one’s doctor so they can help determine which level of care is most appropriate for your loved one.

Planning For Future Care

As physical and cognitive decline becomes more advanced, caregivers and their physicians must determine if their loved one can continue to live independently in the home or would be safer in a supportive care setting such Sonata Senior Living Assisted Living Communities.

Even if you are not ready for assisted living, preparing for the help you may need in the future and creating a plan now will help you respond more quickly if and when there is a need for it. Your caregiving plan should involve your loved one, even those with symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Sonata Senior Living can provide tips on how to have a conversation about assisted living with a loved one. Sonata also offers free home safety visits to help families determine if their loved one qualifies for assisted living.

Questions About Form 1823

For assistance in completing Form 1823 or to tour an assisted living apartment for your loved one, call or visit Sonata Senior Living. Our advanced safety and security features provide families and caregivers with greater peace of mind.

To learn more about Sonata Senior Living, contact us today→ or schedule a visit →