093_HB0776eng HB0776 Engrossed LRB093 05306 DRJ 05396 b 1 AN ACT concerning assisted living. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act is 5 amended by changing Section 5 as follows: 6 (210 ILCS 9/5) 7 Sec. 5. Legislative purpose. The purpose of this Act is 8 to permit the development and availability of assisted 9 living establishments and shared housing establishments based 10 on a social model that promotes the dignity, individuality, 11 privacy, independence, autonomy, and decision-making ability 12 and the right to negotiated risk of those persons; to 13 provide for the health, safety, and welfare ofthose14 residents residing in assisted living and shared housing 15 establishments in this State; to promote continuous quality 16 improvement in assisted living; and to encourage the 17 development of innovative and affordable assisted living 18 establishments and shared housing with service 19 establishments for elderly persons of all income levels. It 20 is the public policy of this State that assisted living is 21 an important part of the continuum of long term care. In 22 support of the goal of aging in place within the parameters 23 established by this Act, assisted living and shared housing 24 establishments shall be operated as residential environments 25 with supportive services designed to meet the individual 26 resident's changing needs and preferences. The residential 27 environment shall be designed to encourage family and 28 community involvement. The services available to residents, 29 either directly or through contracts or agreements, are 30 intended to help residents remain as independent as 31 possible. Assisted living, which promotes resident choice, HB0776 Engrossed -2- LRB093 05306 DRJ 05396 b 1 autonomy, and decision making, should be based on a contract 2 model designed to result in a negotiated agreement between 3 the resident or the resident's representative and the 4 provider, clearly identifying the services to be provided. 5 This model assumes that residents are able to direct services 6 provided for them and will designate a representative to 7 direct these services if they themselves are unable to do so. 8 This model supports the principle that there is an 9 acceptable balance between consumer protection and 10 resident willingness to accept risk and that most consumers 11 are competent to make their own judgments about the services 12 they are obtaining. Regulation of assisted living 13 establishments and shared housing establishments must be 14 sufficiently flexible to allow residents to age in place 15 within the parameters of this Act. The administration of this 16 Act and services provided must therefore ensure that the 17 residents have the rights and responsibilities to direct the 18 scope of services they receive and to make individual choices 19 based on their needs and preferences. These establishments 20 shall be operated in a manner that provides the least 21 restrictive and most homelike environment and that promotes 22 independence, autonomy, individuality, privacy, dignity, and 23 the right to negotiated risk in residential surroundings. It 24 is not the intent of the State that establishments licensed 25 under this Act be used as halfway houses for alcohol and 26 substance abusers. 27 (Source: P.A. 91-656, eff. 1-1-01.)