Senior Board and Care Homes in California
Board and care homes for seniors cover a wide gambit of choices. Retirement facilities that include assisted living, whether in a large hotel-like setting or in a smaller home-type atmosphere, are considered board and care homes in California.
Services Provided in Board and Care Homes
Basic services provided in larger settings that accommodate 50-100 residents or more include:
- Activities
- Meals
- Transportation to doctors
Additional assisted living services may include help with the following:
- Administration of medicine
- Dressing
- Hygiene
- In some settings help is also available for patients who are incontinent
- In some settings helps is also available for patients who are wheelchair bound.
What Board and Care Homes Do Not Provide
Board and Care Homes provide a community setting for residents and often are not equipped to accept patients who suffer from Alzheimer's or advanced dementia. However, this is not always the case. Some Facilities are large enough to include a special wing for these residents in which they can provide safety and security for residents who might wander and get lost.
Rooms in a Board and Care Home
Residents of a Board and Care Home can stay in a private or shared room, depending on how much they want to pay. A typical room is furnished and has a private bath. Some larger homes offer "suites" that are two bedrooms, too. While meals are eaten in a community setting, most homes allow for a hot plate, microwave, and small refrigerator in the room. How much the room will cost will vary from one home to another, as well depend on the level of care provided, but typically you can expect to pay from $1200-$1800 a month for a shared room and $2,000-$4,000 per month for a private room.
Residential Board and Care Homes
Residential Board and Care Homes are licensed homes found in residential neighborhoods. Due to their limited size, these homes usually only have enough beds for 4-6 residents. The owner of the home does not usually live on site, but serves as the Administrator who takes care of shopping, picking up necessary medications and providing transportation for residents to and from the doctor. The staff (usually two per six residensts) who lives in the home provides additional services including:
- Activities
- Custodial care
- Meals
In most instances these homes are equipped with wheelchair accessible bathrooms as well as ramps. Some restrictions do apply to Residential Board and Care Home, however. In general, they are not allowed to accept residents with skilled nursing needs, but wavers can be applied for.
The cost of a Residential Board and Care Home will also depend on whether the resident shares a room or has a private room. Shared rooms can run from $1,500-$3,000 per month while a private room will range from $2,000-$5,000 a month. It is also important to note that in California medi-cal does not pay for Residential Board and Care.