Residential Care Homes (RCFE)
Residential Care Homes – What are they?
Residential care homes are privately owned housing that provides care for seniors 60 years and over. On occasions they also provide care for persons under the age of 60 with compatible needs in a home-like setting. In California, Department of Social Services licenses this housing as Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE). Residential care homes are also known as board and care homes, group homes, and personal care homes. This senior housing typically has a capacity of 6 or less.
Residential care homes provides seniors supervision, personal care, help with seniors’ activities of daily living (ADLs) such as dressing, bathing, medication monitoring, food service, housekeeping, linen, and laundry services. This residential elderly living follows doctor prescribed diets (soft or sodium-free) and provides suitable food for diabetic seniors. Residential care housing also offers local transportation to non-emergency medical appointments. This senior residential living features shared and private rooms, some rooms with private bathroom, walk-in shower, walking paths for secure wandering, alarmed exit doors, and call buttons. Most residential care housing employs two (2) caregivers to serve a maximum of six (6) senior residents giving a staff to resident ratio of 1:3 which makes this senior housing the family’s choice for frail seniors. Some residential elderly living offers 24-hour awake night staff (3 shifts / day), visiting health care professionals (Physicians, mobile Dentists, Registered nurses, Podiatrist, Physical Therapists), including on-site services from beauty stylists and barbers. Residential care facilities’ staff is highly trained to care for seniors with memory loss from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s, heart disease, stroke, cancer, Parkinson’s, diabetes, and those seniors undergoing rehabilitation.
Residential elder care usually charges on a month-to-month basis, no long-term commitment. Monthly rent usually includes food, utilities (except phone charges), room rent, cost of care, and sometimes local transportation. Residential care homes are usually family owned.
Who is suitable for Residential Care Homes?
Ideal senior candidates for this housing are seniors needing assistance with their activities of daily living (ADLs). These seniors prefer to stay in a home-like setting as opposed to living in a large assisted living community.
What are Incidental Medical Services?
Licensed residential care homes may accept and retain senior residents with conditions requiring incidental medical services. This is true provided the resident cares for himself for the condition or senior gets outside help from a medical professional. Residential care homes with Hospice waivers may receive seniors receiving hospice care.
The senior conditions requiring incidental medical services include use of oxygen, intermittent positive pressure breathing (IPBB) therapy, colostomy, enemas/use of suppositories and manual fecal impaction removal, use of an indwelling catheter, incontinence, contractures, diabetes, injections, healing wounds, use of liquid oxygen, and acceptance and retention limitations for bedridden senior residents.
What are the activities at senior residential living?
Residential elder care provides activities such as daily walks to a nearby park, music, arts and crafts, shopping, banking, memory boards bingo, cards, scrabble, folding laundry, planting vegetables, baking cookies, and trips to senior centers.
