Need to Know: I’m Okay Checks vs. Safety/Security Checks in Assisted Living Settings

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Bobbie Guidry

In assisted living settings, there is a critical difference between “I’m Okay Checks” and “Security Checks” that every provider should understand.

The Uniform Disclosure of Assisted Living Services and Amenities (UDALSA) requires every assisted living setting to convey the services they do and do not offer to prospective residents. The UDALSA calls for an assisted living to indicate if they offer I’m Okay Checks and Security Checks.

I’m Okay Checks

I’m Okay Checks are addressed in Section 8, the Supportive Services section of the UDALSA and defined in 144G.08, Subd. 26 as “having, maintaining, and documenting a system to, by any means, check on the safety of a resident a minimum of once daily or more frequently according to the assisted living contract.” I’m Okay Check services are:

• Not explicitly required in assisted living, but considered a best practice;
• Defined in statute as a supportive service rather than an assisted living service;
• Expected by many consumers, and should be clearly defined for residents and their families; and
• Addressed in the UDALSA.

LeadingAge Minnesota developed a roadmap to effective I’m Okay and Resident Safety Checks. The resource was created by a group of LeadingAge Minnesota members based on their practices and experiences.

Security and Monitoring Services

In Section 6 of the UDALSA, Security & Monitoring, a provider needs to indicate the availability of “security and monitoring services.” These checks are focused on the needs of a specific individual. Providers must indicate the frequency that they can provide these checks if a resident need is identified:

• Every 15-minutes safety checks
• Every 30-minutes safety checks
• Hourly safety checks    
• Every two-hours safety checks
• Daily safety checks

I’m Okay Checks in Senior Housing

When crafting the assisted living statute, consumers were also concerned about sharing information regarding I'm Okay Check services in senior housing settings that are not licensed as assisted living. This concern was written into statute as part of 325F.721. Covered settings must convey whether they provide I'm Okay Checks and, if so, how they are conducted. A "covered setting" means an unlicensed setting providing sleeping accommodations to one or more adult residents, at least 80% of whom are 55 years of age or older, and offering or providing, for a fee, supportive services. 

Covered settings must prominently disclose in a written contract whether or not the setting itself or through a provider with which the setting has a business agreement offers I’m Okay Checks. If the resident contracts for I’m Okay Check services, the written contract must detail the nature, extent, and frequency of the provision of these services.

Additionally, covered settings must disclose to prospective residents that the facility is not licensed as an assisted living facility under chapter 144G and, notwithstanding any contract for I’m Okay Check services, is not permitted to provide assisted living services, as defined in section 144G.08, subdivision 9, either directly or through a provider under a business relationship or other affiliation with the covered setting.

If you would like assistance further defining I’m Okay Checks and Security Checks in your setting, please reach out to Bobbie Guidry, Vice President of Assisted Living and Housing.