CARE RESIDENCE COMPARISONS
PERSONAL CARE HOMES
Personal Care Homes
Personal Care Homes are also referred to as 3 & Under.
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They are not required to be licensed by the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS), due to the small number of residents
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Only 3 residents or less are authorized to be in the home (they can't be related to the owner)
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Personal Care Homes provide all of the same services as the licensed homes
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Personal Care Homes can have a combination of residents that can and can’t follow directions in the case of needing to evacuate in an emergency (due to the small number of residents)
Most Personal Care Homes are single-family homes. Since these homes are established in suburban neighborhoods, they generally care for three residents in each home. This makes for a more personal and intimate environment.
The decision to move to a care home can be frightening for many older adults or adults with mental health issues or disabilities. It is important to remember our loved ones were living independently and transitioning into a personal care home and being attended to in a new environment due to age or illness can be stressful for all family members.
Personal Care Homes develop family environments because of their intimate nature and its common to become surrogates to the family children.
Caregivers are on site 24/7, since they own the home.
ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY
SMALL & LARGE
Assisted Living Facilities are required to be licensed.
The Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) determines whether a facility recieves an "A" or "B" license, based on specific criteria.
DADS determines whether a home is large or small according to the number of residents permitted at any one time.
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A small facility is defined as those with 16 residents or less.
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A large facilitiy is defined as those with 17 residents or more.
Type A Facility
Type A residents must be physically and mentally capable of evacuating the facility unassisted. This may include mobile non-ambulatory persons, such as those in wheelchairs or electric carts and have the capacity to transfer and evacuate themselves in the event of an emergency. A Type A resident does not require routine attendance during sleeping hours and must be capable of following directions under emergency conditions.
Type B Facility
Type B residents may require staff assistance to evacuate and may be incapable of following directions under emergency conditions. Residents of Type B facilities may not be permanently bedfast, but may require assistance in transferring to and from a wheelchair. Additionally, Type B residents may require attendance during sleeping hours.
Caregivers are on site 24/7, but the caregiver to resident patient ratio is different than found in a personal care home.