Personal Assistance. Most people move to assisted living because they need help with one or more of what are known as the activities of daily living (ADLs). ADLs include eating, bathing, dressing, continence and using the toilet, walking and getting in and out of a bed or chair.

An assisted living facility will help a resident with any ADL -- but not all the time, and not whenever a resident wants help. Instead, a schedule will be developed that takes into account the resident's needs and the staff's availability. For example, an aide might help a resident get in and out of bed in the morning, once or twice during the day, at bedtime and once again during the night. Or a resident will be given a full bath three or four times a week, but not every day.

When you consider a particular assisted living residence, ask precisely what it offers for the specific ADLs with which you need assistance. If the facility offers you the kind and frequency of assistance you need, make certain that care is spelled out in the written residence agreement you and the management sign.

Health monitoring. In addition to help with daily activities, assisted living facilities monitor a resident's health. That does not mean nursing or other active treatment of a medical condition. Rather, it means keeping track of and helping the resident take the correct dose of medications, helping the resident with self-administered health aids such as prostheses and oxygen, providing emergency call systems and checking on a resident's well-being during the night.

Most assisted living residences have a nurse on duty to check on any resident who has health difficulty or whose physical condition seems to be changing, and to refer the resident for medical care if it seems necessary. Health monitoring may also include coordinating care with the resident's primary care physician and keeping track of a resident's medical appointments. And most facilities provide or arrange transportation to and from those appointments.

Meals. For many people, one of the most attractive things about assisted living is that meals are provided. These facilities have a kitchen and a common dining room where at least two and usually three meals a day are served. The cost of meals is included in the resident's rent or fees. Residents are freed from shopping, cooking and cleaning up; they are assured of nutritious food; and they are brought together for the informal social exchange of a meal with other residents.

There are several things to check about an assisted living residence's food service. First, find out how many meals a day are included, and whether they are all full, hot meals. Then check on the quality of the food; it won't do you any good if you won't eat it. Try several meals in their dining room, and see if the residents seem interested in their food and in each other.