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Home >> Housing & Long Term Care Options >> Assisted Living
 

Assisted Living Facilities
Residential Care, Board and Care, Retirement Home, Continuing Care...

Extensive research can be done on the Internet to find assisted-living facilities in a specific geographic area in California. You can also visit a Community Care Licensing Field Office to see a facility's file. Prevention is the first line of defense and nothing can replace a personal visit before making your decision.

bullet Types of Elderly & Adult Facilities
Licensed by Community Care Licensing

D.S.S. Community Care Licensing regulates, inspects and investigates several types of facilities providing care to seniors and dependent adults:

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Adult Day Care Facilities
Facilities of any capacity that provide programs for frail elderly and developmentally disabled and/or mentally disabled adults in a day care setting. Up arrow to top of page

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Adult Day Support Centers
Providing a community-based group program designed to meet the needs of functionally impaired adults through an individual plan of care in a structured comprehensive program that provides a variety of social and related services in a protective setting on less than 24-hour basis. Up arrow to top of page

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Adult Residential Facilities
ARF are facilities of any capacity that provide 24-hour non-medical care for adults ages 18 through 59, who are unable to provide for their own daily needs. Adults may be physically handicapped, developmentally disabled, and/or mentally disabled. Up arrow to top of page

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Residential Care Facilities for the Chronically Ill
RCFCI are facilities with a maximum licensed capacity of 25. Care and supervision are provided to adults who have AIDS or HIV. Up arrow to top of page

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Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly
RCFE provide care, supervision and assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing and grooming. They may also provide incidental medical services under special care plans.
The facilities also provide services to persons under 60 with compatible needs. RCFEs may also be knows as assisted living facilities, retirement homes and board and care homes. The facilities can range in size from six beds or less to over 100 beds. The residents in these facilities require varying levels of personal care and protective supervision. Up arrow to top of page

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 Continuing Care Retirement Communities
A continuing care contract is an agreement between a person 60 years or older and a continuing care provider. The contract includes a promise to provide a range of services at a Continuing Care Retirement Community for a period longer than one year in exchange for payment. Most continuing care contracts call for the payment of an entrance fee and monthly fees.
Due to the length of time covered by continuing care contracts, as well as the substantial payments made by residents, the Legislature has enacted state laws requiring providers to meet certain financial and disclosure requirements. The California Department of Social Services is the State agency responsible for approving, monitoring and regulating providers.
You can find advice and more detailed information about Continuing Care Retirement Communities on a special page of the Community Care Licensing Web site. Up arrow to top of page

bulletSocial Rehabilitation Facilities
Facilities that provide 24-hour-a-day non-medical care and supervision in a group setting to adults recovering from mental illnesses, who temporarily need assistance, guidance, or counseling. Up arrow to top of page

bullet How to Use the Internet to Find an Assisted Living Facility

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In California
The California Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing Web site has a useful search function to help you find a licensed facility in a specific geographic area. You can search by Zip Code, County, city, area code or name of the facility. The data is updated weekly.

bulletNationwide
Eldercare Locator from the Administration on Aging
1 (800) 677-1116
Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Up arrow to top of page

bullet Personal Assistance to Help you Find a Facility

bulletCalifornia Registry
(800) 777-7575

bullet Guide to Choosing an Assisted Living Facility

Steps in choosing an assisted-living facility
From the Consumer Consortium on Assisted Living

Consumer checklist of important services, amenities and accommodations in assisted-living communities
From the Assisted Living Federation of America

Consumer Guide to assisted living
From the National Center for Assisted Living

Consumer Rights and Laws in California
From Bet Tzedek Legal Services
Very useful information about your rights and laws affecting  board and care homes in California can be found in the Bet Tzedek Web site or in the extensive Bet Tzedek Consumer Guides.
Dedicated telephone number to order nursing home and residential care facilities consumer guides:
(323) 549-5897 Up arrow to top of page

bullet How to Check the Record of a Facility

To check the record of a Los Angeles County Facility you can go to the Regional Field Offices of the Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing. There you can see the complete files related to the facilities that interest you. These files include the result of annual inspections and complaints made against a facility.

You should narrow down your choice before your visit since the files can be quite extensive and a call before your visit is recommended to insure that you have selected the correct Field Office and that the file is available.

The Department of Social Services is working to make these records available on-line in the near future. Up arrow to top of page

bullet Assisted Living Costs

The National Center for Assisted Living consumer guide includes an Assisted living cost calculator
The California Registry Assisted Living page provide valuable information including an analysis on the Cost of Residential Care. Up arrow to top of page

bullet How to Report Abuse and Neglect or Solve a Problem with an Assisted-Living Facility

The Long Term Care Ombudsman Program

Criminal Elder Abuse/Neglect in a Los Angeles County assisted living facility is reported to the Long Term Care Ombudsman at (800) 334-9473 and/or to the law enforcement agency where the crime occurred.

The Long Term Care Ombudsman is a free and confidential service that maintains and improves the quality of life for residents in:
bulletNursing homes
bulletBoard & Care (residential care) facilities
bulletAdult day health care centers

The Ombudsman Program can help resolve your problems and concerns about:
Elder abuse and neglect
Resident's rights
Quality of care
Appropriate placement
Transfer and discharge including assistance with appeals
Dietary concerns
Medical care, therapy, and rehabilitation
Medicare and MediCal benefit issues
Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Up arrow to top of page

The Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing

The Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing regulates, inspects and investigates assisted-living facilities. The mission of Community Care Licensing is to promote the health, safety, and quality of life of each person in community care through the administration of an effective collaborative regulatory enforcement system.

The fulfillment of this responsibility requires inspections of facilities and providers. It also requires written reports, which document the findings and may serve as the basis for further action. Community Care Licensing also responds to citizen complaints regarding assisted living facilities or providers.

These reports become part of the facility's record. How to access these records is described in a previous paragraph of this Web page.

To find more information and local Field Offices in Los Angeles County, please go to our Community Care Licensing Web page.

Updated 04 February, 2005   Up arrow to top of page

  

Inside This Page
bullet Types of facilities
bullet Use the Internet to find
  a facility near you
bullet Personal assistance to
  help you find a facility
bullet Guide to choosing an
  assisted living facility
bullet How to check the record
  of a facility
bullet Assisted living costs
bullet How to report abuse and
  neglect or solve a
  problem  with an assisted
  living facility

Useful Links
bullet DSS Community Care
  Licensing
bullet Long-Term Care 
  Ombudsman
bullet Police in L.A. County
bullet How to report elder
  abuse and neglect

Related Stories
bullet "Abuse and neglect in
  assisted-living facilities"
  A TIME.com report - 2001
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 We hope you have found this Public Service Web Site to be helpful. Please verify the accuracy of any information or advice you find when using this site. Do not hesitate to CONTACT US. We welcome your comments and are grateful for your bringing any needed corrections to our attention. 
This site was first published in April, 2001.

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