What is a Residential Care Home for the Elderly?
A residential care home for the elderly is a home in a residential neighborhood that provides group living and care for the elderly. It is often referred to as a RCFE (residential care for the elderly) or a board and care home. In California, they are licensed and regulated, usually for six residents. They are assisted living small homes versus assisted living large communities. They are licensed as a non medical assisted living facility. They are a home setting in which elderly people can receive assistance with activities of daily living. However, the residents can receive medical services thru their individual health insurance. These medical services can include in home visits by; doctors and nurses, physical therapists, podiatrists, hospice companies, wound care specialists, and an array of other medical services are available. The purpose is to have a small family like environment where an elderly person would be known and cared for on a personal level.
Six elderly people live together and share resources so it is less expensive than one on one care in an elderly person’s own home. They are provided assistance with activities of daily living like; showers, dressing, toileting, walking, eating, and medication dispensing. Meals are prepared and served. Laundry and housekeeping services are provided. There would be a daily routine to include exercise and activities.
A residential care home is meant to emulate family living but with services. One of the most valuable benefits of a residential care home is living in community with others. The value of enjoying the company and friendships of other elderly people can not be overstated. We see most of our clients thrive after coming from their own home where they may have been isolated and lonely. They improve in their health and well being because they receive care and services and because they are in community with others.
When you become elderly you need people around to help you with some very basic things. You might need someone to get the newspaper, to put the right station on the tv, to get a glass of water, to prepare your meals, to help you to the table safely, to help you in the bathroom, to take you out for a walk on a beautiful day and the most cherished someone to talk to.
RCFE’s have requirements beyond care and services that include a program for activities, socialization, employee training, resident observation and documentation by an administrator, and more. This provides an experienced and educated team to care for an elderly person. There are no requirements for one on one care in a private home.
The goal of a RCFE is to do this in a private and personal way to meet the needs and desires of an elderly resident. There is no other environment that can match the level of personal care, trained staff and oversight that exists in a RCFE. Staff to resident ratio is at least 1:3. There are less total staff that serves each resident that allows for each staff to know a resident well.
There is a large range of quality and price for RCFE’s. Shared rooms, private rooms, shared baths, private baths, awake staff at night or not, quality of the home and décor, quality of food, quality of staff, whether they provide activities or exercise programs. I believe each RCFE is a microcosm of the skills, values, personality, and ethics of the owner of the RCFE giving each RCFE its own personality.
The goal is to match the needs, desires and personalities of an elderly person and their family to those of the RCFE.
Our vision at Beach homes is to create a place where residents, staff and families are cared for and encouraged to live life to its fullest and to be in community with each other.
