My daughter is insisting that someone will not be accepted at assisted living unless they can transfer by themself. Is this true?

Each AL has their own protocols in place. My father was a 1 person assist and accepted at the 2 ALs he lived in. When he became a 2 person assist is when the issues began. But, with hospice on board, dad's AL was fine with keeping him until he passed, even being a 2 person assist.

Check the ALs in your area. Each elder must be evaluated to see if they are determined to be in able enough condition to live there.

We had an uncle in assisted living with advanced Parkinson’s. When his caregiving needs got intense, involving having to be fed for every meal, and a two person assist for every transfer, the assisted living place kept him while fully admitting it was beyond their scope of care. This happened because the family had shown up daily, gotten to know the staff, and befriended them. They were liked there and uncle was a kind, cooperative man. Your basic answer is “depends on the place and the regulations” but having a cooperative, well like resident and family can make a big difference as well

Not for most ALF, no. At least not for my brother's. But the care level for someone w/c bound with need for transfer would be quite high. This often requires two caregivers and with some frequency.

For all of these things it is best to discuss disabilities of ANY kind with the facility itself, and to request a list of care levels and what they consist of, and cost.

Best of luck.

All I can say is that by the time anyone I was responsible for was willing to go to AL, they were past AL care.

If you are looking at a specific facility ask what their regulations are. Most if not all AL and most MC can not use equipment to transfer a person. The use of equipment is regulated in Skilled Nursing. This is a safety precaution for both the staff and the resident.
It may also depend on how much help a person needs to transfer. If it is minimal help that is different than a staff member doing all the work during the transfer. Might actually depend on if the person is a 295 pounds or 105. And if this is a 1 or 2 person transfer.
Not a good reason or excuse but reality ....With the staffing shortage if 1 or 2 staff persons have to help 1 person 5, 6, 7 times a day that is taking time that other residents may need help.

No, my dad is living in a personal care residence for memory care and they help him with eveything.

It varies according to state regs as well. In Connecticut, you can be a two person assist and still be in AL while in neighboring New York, only NHs are able to admit 2 person assists. At least that was the case in 2013.

There are always exceptions and rules vary. What matters is what you need and who will provide it. People going into ALFs are in transition.
The manpower is more limited in ALF than a NH.
My DH aunt went into an ALF while bedfast. She’s a small woman, was on hospice, had an aide daily. So there are many factors that might make a difference in a decision to accept a patient or not.

I believe she may be correct. If someone cannot stand up, pivot and then take a step to get on a toilet or into another chair, etc, then it requires 1 or 2 people to safely lift them up and get them where they need to be. Unfortunately, assisted living is not staffed to accommodate those needs. AL can give meds, wash your clothing, provide meals in a dining room setting (that you have to be able to get to) arrange group outings to the store, etc. If someone need hands on care, they probably need a nursing home and maybe skilled nursing depending on what other issues are going on.

That information is based on my experience at my moms previous assisted living facility. There may be other AL's that provide different levels of care than the one mom was in.

It depends. Most assisted living facilities do not take residents who cannot transfer themselves, are invalid, or whose dementia has regressed them back into a toddler who needs 24 hour supervision.

Assisted living means there are staff who will 'assist' a resident with certain ADL's like meals, housekeeping, laundry, medication supervision, and hygiene. Not provide total invalid care for a person who can't even get up on their own.

I was a supervisor at a very nice AL some time back. Our citeria for residence was that a person had to be able to walk without assist of another person and we did not allow wheelchairs. Walkers or canes were fine. A resident had to still be using a toilet without assistance. An actual toilet because we did not allow bedside commodes. No one who was diaper-dependent was allowed to move in, or stay if they became so. If you used a pull-up or pad for extra security that was fine. Residents had to be able to properly dispose of these things in their own. We had residents with dementia, but when it progressed and the resident no longer met our criteria for residency, they had to go.

This is how most assisted living facilities operate.