During that time, we have never once had one of our users complain to us that their personal information has been compromised, or distributed outside of the intended recipient.

I take your privacy, and trust very seriously – something that many other ‘assisted living’ or senior care sites don’t do. I know full well that there are plenty of questionable sites out there that are hap-hazard or downright negligent with your information.

Assisted Living Directory has a NO Spam policy and guarantee.

So what does this mean, exactly?

1) Never have we, or will we ever give your information to anyone other than the intended recipient.

On our site, there are quite a few possible ‘intended’ recipients. If you use a facility’s e-mail form to contact them directly from our site, the email will go straight to the facility via e-mail. Assisted Living Directory does get a ‘bcc’ temporary copy of all email communications that are sent to facilities, and we do that to protect our users. This allows us to block people abusing our site, and it also lets us know of any ‘bounces’ that occur, so we can update the facility’s email address if needed. We don’t share these communications or use them for any other purposes.

2) We do offer help and assistance on our site, and we work with a small handful of external organizations that provide expertise and assistance to our users. You may see a form, or a ‘help’ number to call.

When you fill out the form, the inquiry will go straight to our advisor or senior care consulting agency, and no further.

We have always been very transparent about who we work with and why. These are the people and organizations that are established, and who have earned our (and our site visitors) trust over the years, and who have shown that they are responsible and respectful towards our users’ information.

Of course, if you request help on our site, or contact a facility, you can expect a reply.

Our ‘who we work with’ section referenced above will tell you exactly who we have an established relationship with.

You should not expect to have any other ‘commercial interests’ contact you by using any of our advisors or facility contact forms.

Should you do, please contact me immediately. I will investigate, and will remove any facility, company or organization from our site that abuses this guarantee and policy.

There are ‘bad’ people out there, and I can’t say that it won’t happen on our site at some point, but we’ve been lucky.

No site is completely immune, but all websites should take every measure possible to protect their users.

My guarantee is that we’ll do everything that is humanly possible to stop spam from happening on our site, and we will address any issues immediately.

Speaking of policies, we have an in-depth privacy policy of how your information is used on our site.

Our advice to you is to avoid websites that don’t offer a similar privacy policy.

Again, by definition, spam is unsolicited email from people you don’t know, or are not expecting communication from. If you contact a facility on our site, or request help from an advisor, you will receive a reply.

If you have an experience that is anything different, we want to hear about it!

The post Assisted Living Directory’s No Spam Guarantee appeared first on Assisted Living Directory.

By Joelle Besnette for Assisted Living Directory

The state of Wisconsin offers an impressive amount of information when it comes to Assisted Living, including decision making, assistance, and general resources.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that the number of caregivers is declining, and I’ll explain more on that in this article.

While researching this article, I came across some eye-opening statistics courtesy of the Assisted Living Association and a 2016 report titled Long-Term Care Workforce Crisis:  A 2016 Report.  Below are just a few points taken from the report:

• Residents living in long-term and residential care facilities rely on an estimated 73,700 caregivers
• The number of Wisconsin residents living in long-term and residential care facilities has grown 18% since 2003
• In the next 30 years, the ratio of Wisconsin residents age 65 and older to the entire state population will grow from 1 in 7 to 1 in 4

While the population requiring long-term care, including assisted living, is over 87,000 as of mid-2016 and steadily increasing, the number of caregivers is decreasing.  In fact, over the next 5 years, the need for personal care workers is expected to rise by 26.4%, according to projections made by the Wisconsin Department of Administration, Demographic Services Center.

The report cites low wages and reduced benefits as compared to entry-level positions for unskilled (!) workers.  An unskilled worker makes an average of $12.00/hr, however, a personal caregiver only makes $10.75/hr.  As a result, many former caregivers are employed outside the health care sector.  The lack of staff forces facilities to resort to double shifts and overtime…you can imagine how difficult that would be for a professional caregiver.

As an aside, the current minimum wage in Wisconsin is $7.25/hr.  19 other states have enacted legislation to raise the minimum wage starting in 2017.

Who regulates Assisted Living facilities in Wisconsin?

Assisted Living facilities are overseen by the Department of Health Services.

The Department of Health Services does not provide a referral service for evaluation and placement in an assisted living facility, however, their web site has a wealth of information and guidance.  However, Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) are a great place to get assistance and information.  They can help find services that match the individual’s needs – even if that is something other than assisted living.  They also provide long-term care counseling.  Services are available over the phone, or by a home visit.

What types of assisted living facilities are there?

Assisted Living facilities are for individuals who need some level of care monitoring.  Assisted Living facilities do not have 24-hour access to nursing services.

Wisconsin oversees 4 kinds of assisted living facilities:

• Adult Day Care (ADC)
• Adult Family Home (AFH)
• Community-Based Residential Facility (CBRF)
• Residential Care Apartment Complex (RCAC)

Need help decoding all the alphabet soup of acronyms?  Here is a document that may help:

Most facilities are either an Adult Day Care or Community-Based Residential Facility.  An Adult Day Care (ADC) is for individuals who need help with “ADLs”, or Activities of Daily Living.  These include bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, mobility in the home, and transferring (meaning being able to move from one surface, such as a bed, to another, such as a chair).  Besides personal care, ADCs provide meals, transportation, activities, and medical care/medication administration.

The facility may be located in a center, home, or public facility such as a church or school.  Like day care for children, most are open weekdays during regular business hours.

A Community-Based Residential Facility (CBRF) is for adults who need to reside in the facility and who may need up to 3 hours of intermediate nursing care each week.  These facilities have anywhere from 5-250 beds.

How can I find a facility?

The Department of Health Services offers a comprehensive resource called the Consumer Guide to Health Care – Finding and Choosing an Assisted Living Facility

One this web page, they also offer County-By-County Directories of Wisconsin Residential Care Providers to help you find a health or residential care provider by county.  To view compliance history of a facility, use the DHS Provider Search.

Finally, the Department also offers several Assisted Living directories for each of the 4 types of facilities in both .pdf and Excel formats.  These directories are also located on the Consumer Guide web page.

How can I find a list of facility inspection reports?

As mentioned above, you may use the DHS Provider Search tool to find a facility, and view compliance history.  Other tools include a somewhat “busy” web page entitled Choosing Wisconsin Residential Care Options.  This page links to every county in Wisconsin, so you can find more information that is county-specific.

How can I view, and get a copy of Wisconsin’s Assisted Living Regulations?

Regulatory information is available and is specific to the type of facility:

Adult Family Home (AFH):

Wis. Admin. Code § DHS 88

Community-Based Residential Facility (CBRF):

Wis. Admin. Code § DHS 83

Residential Care Apartment Complex (RCAC):

Wis. Admin. Code § DHS 89

How are complaints handled?

The Department of Health Services, Division of Quality Assurance oversees the health, welfare, and safety for the State. Complaints may be filed with the DHS Bureau of Assisted Living by calling 800-642-6552, or by contacting the relevant Regional Office.

Where can I go for further information?  

Wisconsin offers several resources for additional information:

The Wisconsin Coalition for Collaborative Excellence in Assisted Living (WCCEAL) seeks to improve outcomes of individuals living in Assisted Living facilities.

Thinking of Moving to an Assisted Living Residence?

is a .pdf guide for potential residents and their families.  Although published by a New York-based coalition, the information is relevant to anyone who is considering assisted living for themselves or a family member.

Learn More

The post Assisted Living Regulations in Wisconsin appeared first on Assisted Living Directory.

Return to, or visit our Idaho assisted living section.

It is so confusing, researching assisted living.   No two states are alike in terms of regulations, definitions, and what is offered by assisted living.    It gets even more confusing when you try to research Medicaid assisted living.   

Many states do not have Medicaid-Certified assisted living.  There are only a handful that do have facilities approved for assisted living, but finding those facilities can be a real challenge.

I’ve found that many assisted living communities, even if they accept Medicaid, don’t like to advertise that fact since private-pay residents can be more profitable, and much easier to deal with.  

Unfortunate yes, but the good news is that if you live in Idaho, there’s an easy way to find out which facilities accept Medicaid – statewide.   

How To Find Medicaid-Certified Assisted Living Facilities in Idaho

I wish this site and the resources I am about to highlight were easier to find in a general search online.  They don’t come up often, but they have some of the best, most usable information found anywhere regarding Idaho’s 100’s of assisted living facilities and residential care homes.

To do a general search, and to get state-supported information for Idaho assisted living, visit the State of Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare, Licensing and Certification and then their Residential Care or Assisted Living section. 

http://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/Medical/LicensingCertification/StateOnlyPrograms/AssistedLiving/tabid/273/Default.aspx

They have a section a little ways down for Consumer Information, and a section for “Find a Facility.”  Under this section, once you select it, you’ll see a ‘Facility Search Page’ which will take you to the Facility Licensing and Regulatory Enforcement System, or FLARES.

What I did was to simply enter a city I was interested in, for example, Boise, and then, you’ll see a checkbox that includes a selection for “Accepts Medicaid Clients.’

Easy enough.

Then, once you search facilities, a very easy-to-read list will come up.   You will even see which facilities have received an ‘Award.’

From there, you can go through and look at the different facilities.    

The details page offers some really good information, including:

• Direct phone
• Licensed Beds
• Accepts Medicaid Clients (yes/no)
• Resident Types (Alzheimrer’s/Dementia; Elderly; etc.)
• Administrator’s name and information
• Owner Information
• Surveys, and award status
• Complaints

and Historical Documents

The historical documents often include additional interesting information and findings from state inspections and visits which can be used to come up with additional questions for the facility administrators as you research and tour prospective communities.

The post How To Find Medicaid Assisted Living in Idaho appeared first on Assisted Living Directory.

By Joelle Besnette for Assisted Living Directory

West Virginia’s overall population is declining according to the U.S. Census bureau, however, the population of those 65 and older has been increasing.  As the population ages, it becomes necessary for many of us to consider options to take care of those we love.

Who regulates Assisted Living facilities in West Virginia?

Assisted Living facilities are overseen by the Department of Health & Human Resources, Office of Health Facility Licensure & Certification.

Their site looks like this (at the time of this writing):

What types of assisted living facilities are there?

In West Virginia, there are several types of assisted living facilities that fall under the Assisted Living Program for the state. These include the Alzheimer’s Unit, Assisted Living Residence, Legally Unlicensed facilities, Medical Adult Day Care, Residential Board and Care Home, and Residential Care Community.

In this article, I’ll focus on Assisted Living Residence. This is defined as “A housing alternative for older adults who may need help with dressing, bathing, eating, and toileting, but do not require the intensive medical and nursing care provided in nursing homes.” There is a minimum of 4 residents per facility.

The state differentiates between a Small Assisted Living Residence (with bed capacity ranging from 4-16) and a Large Assisted Living Residence (with 17 or more beds).

How can I find a facility?

In 2013, West Virginia launched an online search tool to find facilities.

The tool (at this time) looks like this:

Under the Assisted Living Residence search, you may narrow your search by small facilities, large facilities, or personal care homes. You may also search for all types of assisted living facilities. Other options include limiting searches by county, zip code, or by full or partial facility name.

There is also an Advanced search feature where you may narrow your search even further; here, you may search for facilities which accept Medicare, Medicaid, or those which are private pay. The Advanced Search also includes a map of the state with counties:

A note of caution: my searches did not yield the information I requested (or thought I was requesting!). I tried several advanced searches, using different criteria and de-selecting counties (which by default are all selected), however, every search result listed the same 98 facilities statewide. I am hoping this is a simple case of “user error”.   The good news in this is that I received more information than I requested – certainly better than receiving less.

Your results may be saved as a .pdf or downloaded as a .csv file (which you can open using Excel). The great advantage of exporting the results to a .csv file is that you will be able to sort them in Excel. If your results are as extensive as mine were, you will probably want to sort and filter your results.

How can I find a list of facility inspection reports?

Go to the Facility Lookup page to pull a list of all assisted living facilities.

On the results page, you may click on any of the facility names to see information including an overview with basic facility information, and tabs for Health Investigations, Life Safety Inspections, and even a Map feature where you can get driving directions to the facility.

The inspections reports section looks like this:

How can I view, and get a copy of West Virginia’s Assisted Living Regulations?

These are located under Title 64, Legislative Rule, Bureau for Public Health, Series 14, Assisted Living Residences:

The current and previous versions of the code are provided at this web page as well.

How are complaints handled?

Individuals are encouraged to try to resolve issues via the facility’s grievance process first. You may also contact a state Ombudsman.  A current list of Ombudsmen is posted here.

If a formal complaint is necessary, contact the Office of Health Facility Licensure & Certification (OHFLAC) via phone, fax, or mail. They do not accept complaints via email. Complaints may be made anonymously by any individual.  The Health Care Facility Complaints line is (304) 558-0050.

Where can I go for further information?  

The WV Bureau of Senior Services has a wealth of information.  For starters, here is a great list of FAQs concerning senior issues.  They also offer an online brochure called Consumer Guide: Helping Families Make Informed Choices About Care.  It contains an impressive amount of useful information covering a range of healthcare resources.

Also, the Aging & Disability Resource Network provides assistance in locating long-term care for seniors as well as individuals with disabilities.

Finally, for a list of senior centers in each county, the Bureau of Senior Services offers a provider list.

The post Assisted Living Regulations in West Virginia appeared first on Assisted Living Directory.

Return to, or visit our Florida Assisted Living section.

It’s an inevitable spot we have found ourselves in as a country, where a good percentage of the population of the US is Spanish-speaking, and English is still a second language.

Florida is no exception.   Did you know that the Hispanic and Latino population of Florida has steadily increased over the years, to where it is today at nearing 5 million people. 

This ranks Florida 3rd in the US, according to the Pew Research Center.

This chart from Wikipedia.

The percentage of people statewide in Florida that is Hispanic or Latino is almost 25%.

This according to the US Census.

Unfortunately for this population, researching assisted living facilities and residential care homes in Florida that offer Spanish-speaking staff can be challenging.   Many facilities only advertise in English, even though they may have staff available who can speak Spanish.   

How to find Spanish-Speaking Assisted Living in Florida

There’s a very easy way to find facilities anywhere in Florida that can accommodate Hispanic residents who need to communicate in Spanish.   

The first step is to to to the Florida Health Finder database and site, which is state-supported.  Here, you’ll see a Facility Locator page that allows you to search for care several different ways.  You can:

• Search by Facility Type/Location
• Search by Proximity (basically, add an address, and it will tell you what’s close)
• By Provider Inspections Reports and Final Orders

There’s also an App you can use for your phone that I have highlighted in another video/tutorial to search for care in Florida.

For this example, I’ll choose ‘Search by Facility Type/Location” and then,  I will select my Facility / Provider Type, which will be Assisted Living Facility. 

I’ll then enter a city, and from there, a list of all licensed assisted living providers in my city will be populated in an easy-to-read table, that you can also save to Excel, or print.

You’ll need to go through and look at each facility, as that’s where the facility details are, including languages spoken.

Aside from the incredibly helpful data provided at the outset, including:

• Facility Name
• Facility Direct Phone Number
• County
• Licensed Beds
• Profit Status
• License Number
• License Effective Date and Expiration Date
• and more

You’ll see a section for ‘Services and Characteristics’ that I’ve found to be incredibly useful.  

You’ll see a “Languages Spoken” area, and often times, you’ll see English as well as Spanish listed.   

You can also see what other programs and services are offered including Memory Care, Physical Therapy, Arts and Crafts and more.

I wish this database were offered in Spanish so that people could search for “Se Habla Español” in their native language.

For now, there are a good number of different language translator sites out there that you can use for help, including Google Translate, and this great tool that allows you to translate an entire webpage from English to Spanish, or almost any other language you can think of!

The post How To Find Spanish-Speaking Assisted Living Facilities in Florida appeared first on Assisted Living Directory.

This page has been created to provide an overview of Washington State’s Assisted Living Rules and Regulations.   I will show you where to find the official rules for assisted living facilities and homes, and I will highlight the agency that is responsible for the regulation and oversight of assisted living for the State of Washington.

Who regulates assisted living facilities in Washington State?

The State of Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services ‘houses’ the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration, which is the agency charged with the job of overseeing and regulating all assisted living homes in Washington.  The facilities that are regulated by this agency include:

• Nursing Homes
• Assisted Living Facilities
• Adult Family Homes
• Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICFs/IID)
• Supported Living; and
• Enhanced Services Facilities

A visit to their site offers some helpful information and guidance relevant to assisted living and other modalities of care.   Clicking through to the Long Term Care Services section, and then Long Term Care Housing, you’ll be able to view a section specific to Assisted Living Facilities, and there is a very useful ‘Find An Assisted Living Facility” link.   

The search is done by city or Zip code – at this time, I found that the only method that was working for this search tool is by entering a zip code.  Hopefully that will be corrected soon.

Where Can I Find Washington’s Assisted Living Rules and Regulations?

These are found on the State’s Washington State Legislature page, under the Assisted Living Facility Licensing Rules, Chapter 388-78A section.

The set of rules is comprehensive, and thorough and listing all of them here is outside of the intent of this post, however, there are some important sections to highlight.

Under the ‘General’ section, there is a ‘Definitions’ rule (388-78A-2020).   I like to point this out especially when it comes to the definition for assisted living.  Each state defines and regulates assisted living differently and Washington State has it’s own unique definition:

There are also other sections that are important:

• Assessment and Monitoring: Includes rules on resident assessments, and monitoring well-being
• Negotiated Service agreement:  Includes rules on agreement planning and implementation of service agreements
• Assisted Living Facility Services:  Includes rules and regulations around required services, activities and health support services.
• Respite:  Includes rules and regulations relevant to respite care
• Medications: Includes rules regarding medication refusal, storing and securing medications, family assistance, and more.
• Food:  Rules surrounding food service in Washington’s assisted living facilities, as well as sanitation

There are many more sections, including rules surrounding the administration and staffing, building codes and standards, inspections, enforcement remedies and appeals, and much more.

Of course, significant time would need to be spent learning and retaining all of this information.  It’s good to know where to refer to this information often, especially if you are a family with a loved-one in an assisted living setting in Washington.

These rules and regulations should also be standard fare for staff, owners and administrators of assisted living communities in the State of Washington, and should also offer guidance to those wishing to open an assisted living home here.

The reality of it is that the day-to-day operation of an assisted living home is serious, involved, tedious and ongoing work to maintain the health, safety, rights and well-being of each resident.   Many facilities are penalized, and even have to shut down eventually due to non-compliance and adherence to these rules.    

The post Washington State’s Assisted Living Rules and Regulations – An Overview appeared first on Assisted Living Directory.

Id’ like to share with you one of my absolute favorite resources when it comes to researching assisted living in Florida.    It’s a breath of fresh air in that it is ad-free, and supported by the State of Florida (their Agency for Health Care Administration).

You’ll be glad you visited this site – trust me!

How to find Medicaid Assisted Living and Residential Care Homes in Florida

So, you’ll need to go to the ‘site of awesomeness’ that I alluded to above, which is the Florida Health Finder site.   Their site looks like this:

Immediately, you’ll be able to se a section for ‘Assisted Living Facilities’ that takes you to some pretty cool and helpful stuff.

To find Medicaid assisted living (as well as VA, Long Term Care Insurance qualified) facilities, jump to the ‘Find and Assisted Living Facility’ section.

http://www.floridahealthfinder.gov/facilitylocator/facloc.aspx

From there, you’ll need to select ‘Search by Facility Type/Location’ which takes you to one of the best search tools for finding assisted living that I have ever used.    It is comprehensive, and thorough, and lists every licensed facility in Florida.   There are thousands!

Just put in ‘Assisted Living Facility’ in to the first box, and then, type in your city, or zip code, or even county, and you’ll get a thorough list of facilities.

You’ll need to go through and click on each facility to find the types of payments accepted.  I don’t know of a way to search or filter by Medicaid facilities.

Once you select a facility, you’ll see quite a bit of initial, very useful information.   

Then, down below you will see under the ‘services and characteristics’ section more really useful information.    You should see a ‘Payment Forms Accepted’ section, and you’ll likely see things like:

• CHAMPUS
• Insurance and/or HMO
• Medicaid
• Other
• VA

CHAMPUS, if you didn’t know, is ‘Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services.’

The other really great tool found on Florida Health Finder is their ‘proximity search’ which allows you to search for assisted living close to a specific street address.   For example, if mom or dad lives at a certain street address in any city or town in Florida, you can enter that, and then choose Assisted Living Facility, and then select ‘distance within’ which is between 1000 feet or up to 100 miles.

This is an entirely useful function, even if you are looking for Medicaid facilities in Florida, as you can really zero in on facilities closest to your loved on, or to yourself, if you wish to be near mom or dad after they move into a facility.    

Lastly, you can print or save the list of facilities that are produced.  This is great if you are a ‘note taker’ with good old-fashioned pen or pencil (or highlighter) you can print the list and take notes, or highlight those Medicaid facilities near you that you are considering, or wish to visit or tour.

A final note – not all states qualify assisted living facilities for Medicaid.  Florida, fortunately, is one of the few that does.

The post How To Find Medicaid Assisted Living in Florida appeared first on Assisted Living Directory.

Return to or visit our Virginia Assisted Living section.

The State of Virginia has put a lot of thought and effort into creating a set of rules and regulations that govern and guide the operation of Assisted Living Facilities and Residential Care Homes in Virginia.

We’ll cover where you need to go to find, and get a copy of these regulations as well as who is in charge of regulating assisted living in Virginia.

Who is the State Agency in charge of Regulating Assisted Living in Virginia?

This title belongs to the State’s Department of Social Services and their Division of Licensing Programs.   

Their website offers a handful of informative pages that will help to guide you to understanding assisted living in Virginia.   It is important to understand that each state in the US is regulated differently when it comes to assisted living, and each state defines assisted living in their own unique way.

First, within the Department of Social Services Assisted Living Facilities (ALF) section, there is an “About ALF” sub-section which covers the unique definition of assisted living in Virginia:

Next, we get into the Regulations, Rules, Application Process and Procedures for Assisted Living in Virginia.

There is a sub-section for Regulations, Technical Assistance and Code References which provides a number of .PDF documents relevant to various areas of licensing and regulations for ALFs in Virginia.

The next section is for New Assisted Living Facility Applicants, which provides links to additional PDFs that cover the Application Process and Licensure for assisted living in Virginia.

Next, you’ll see Guidances and Procedures, which covers more specific regulatory areas such as Blood Glucose Monitoring, Staffing, Training, Risk Assessment and more.

The regulations set forth by the State of Virginia are comprehensive and complex – moreso than most other states.   To cover them in-depth here would be outside the scope and intent of this post.   

Our goal here has been to introduce you to where you can find Virginia’s assisted living regulations and codes, and which department you can go to to ask questions or to seek assistance.

These regulations are useful not only to owners, administrators and staff of assisted living communities, but also to the residents, families and even to those who might be considering opening an assisted living home in the State of Virginia.

Lastly, I’d like to highlight a great way to search for assisted living in Virginia, which is also offered through the State’s Department of Social Services.

You’ll need to go to their ‘search for assisted living‘ tool which is fairly straightforward.   You can search by:

• Non Ambulatory
• Special Care Unit
• Assisted Living Care

Simply select the City under the location field, and then your ‘special services’ choice, and your facility list will come up.

At this time, I found a total of 478 Assisted Living Care Facilities statewide in Virginia. 

Selecting a facility will bring up more (and very useful) details about the facility.  You’ll learn the facility’s capacity, inspections dates and details, whether they were complaint related, and how to contact the facility directly.

The post Virginia’s Assisted Living Rules and Regulations appeared first on Assisted Living Directory.

Return to or visit our Vermont assisted living section.

I would like to offer a quick overview of Vermont’s assisted living regulations, and show you where you can find them for your reference.

I strongly believe this information is important to know about in that it provides a framework for facilities to act appropriately and in the best interests of their residents.   This framework encompasses the health, safety, dignity, rights and happiness of each resident.

It is also important for families and the residents themselves to know how to access Vermont’s assisted living regulations, so they know what to expect from the care that is being provided, and where to go if there is an issue or concern.

Who regulates assisted living in Vermont?

This job goes to the Vermont Division of Licensing and Protection, and their Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living.    

Here, you’ll find some very helpful guidance, contacts and links relevant to aging and assisted living in Vermont.

There is a set of phone numbers and contacts for Adult Protective Services, as well as a form for reporting Abuse.

There are some additional useful links to pages, notably to a  Licensure, Survey and Certificationsection that provides a comprehensive registry for:

• Nursing Homes
• Residential Care
• Additional Care Providers (including Assisted Living Facilities) in Vermont
• Resident Rights
• Consumer Guidelines

Where Can I find Vermont’s Assisted Living Regulations?

There is a relatively short (compared to other states) PDF guide for Assisted Living Residence Licensing Regulations that is available on the Department of Aging and Independent Living site.

At this time, the document is 13 pages long and covers:

• General Provisions
• Exceptions
• Definitions
• Variances
• Licenses
• Resident Care and Services
• Policies and Procedures
• Agreements and Charges
• Negotiated Risk
• Nutrition and Food Services
• Physical Plant

You can access Vermont’s regulations document here:

I always like to point out the ‘definition’ section from each state’s assisted living regulations, since each state defines assisted living differently.

Here is how Vermont defines assisted living:

These rules and regulations are freely available to the public and can provide an outline of how an assisted living community in Vermont should be managed and operated.

These regulations are also useful to those people who are looking into opening a facility in Vermont.  You will have an idea of what is expected,  how the facility (physical plant) should be set up, and much more!

The post Vermont’s Assisted Living Rules and Regulations appeared first on Assisted Living Directory.

Visit, or return to our Jacksonville Assisted Living page.

You might wonder why Assisted Living Facilities don’t tell you that they accept Medicaid.   If you go to most any website for an assisted living facility, payment options are usually not discussed, and whether Medicaid is accepted is kept secret.

The reasons I have heard from most facility owners is that they can get more money out of those people who are private pay.   It’s easier for them in terms of paperwork, and less hassle all around.

Additionally, many states don’t even facilitate a relationship between Medicaid and assisted living.  However, Florida is one of the handful of states that does allow Medicaid to help cover the cost of assisted living.

For Jacksonville, here are 10 assisted living facilities that do accept Medicaid:

1.  BISHOP CHRISTIAN HOME, INC.   This facility is licensed for 44 beds, and is a for-profit entity.   It is located at 1627 EAST 8TH STREET JACKSONVILLE, FL 32206.    Their phone number is (904) 355-9731, and at this time, they accept both Medicaid and VA for payment.    Additionally, they work with the Assisted living Waiver.
2.  ARLINGTON HAVEN ALF.  This facility is licensed for 26 beds, and is located at 6320 ARLINGTON ROAD JACKSONVILLE, FL 32211.   Their phone number is (904) 743-9069.  Currently, Arlington Haven accepts Medicaid, and has staff that speak both English and Spanish.
3.  CIRCLE OF HOPE, INC.  This facility is located at 1550 W. 9TH ST.  JACKSONVILLE, FL 32209 and is licensed for 10 beds.  It is a not-for-profit facility and their direct phone is Phone: (904) 355-9840.   Currently, this facility accepts VA, Medicaid, HMO and CHAMPUS for payment.
4.  EJ’S PLACE, INC.  This facility is a for-profit entity, and is located at 5045 DONCASTER AVENUE JACKSONVILLE, FL 32208, with a direct phone number of Phone: (904) 766-3700.  Currently, this assisted living facility is licensed for 6 beds, so it is a smaller, more residential-type community.   EJ’s works with the Assisted Living Wavier, Medicaid, VA, Insurance and HMO.
5. GWK HOME OF COMFORT LLC.   This is an interesting facility in many ways.  Firstly, it does accept Medicaid, as well as Medicare, VA and HMO.   Additionally, it is geared towards a number of religious affiliations, including Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish,  and Muslim.   It is licensed for 6 beds, and also works with the Assisted Living Waiver.   GWK Home is located at 7944 CECIL STREET  JACKSONVILLE, FL 32221 and their direct phone is (904) 695-2673
6. JUST LIKE HOME located at 5844 WINDERMERE DR JACKSONVILLE, FL 32211.  This facility is licensed for 6 beds, and is a for-profit entity.  It accepts Medicaid and VA, and it’s direct phone is: (904) 716-7106.
7. KINGS HOUSE II, located at 8356 JUSTIN RD SOUTH JACKSONVILLE, FL 32210.   This facility is a not-for-profit licensed for 5 beds, and works with the Assisted Living Waiver, Medicaid, Medicare, and VA.  This facility’s number is: (904) 894-6828.
8. LAFETA FAMILY HOME CARE located at 1061 DIVISION STREET JACKSONVILLE, FL 32209.  This facility’s direct number is (904) 358-3933.   Lafita Family Home Care is an assisted living facility that works with the Assisted Living Waiver, Workers Compensation, Medicare, Medicaid, and VA.
9. MYRTICE ANGELS SENIOR HOME CARE LLC, located at 2570 VERNON STREET JACKSONVILLE, FL 32209.  This facility also works with Medicaid, VA and the Assisted Living Waiver, and can be reached at (904) 355-9737.   This facility is licensed for 6 residents.
10. NOBLE GARDENS OF JACKSONVILLE, LLC.  This facility, located at 7024 WILEY RD in Jacksonville, is licensed for 31, and accepts Medicaid and Veteran’s (VA) for payment.    This facility has staff that speaks English and Spanish.

This list should get you started!   To find more facilities in Jacksonville that accept Medicaid, please visit the facility search tool provided by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.

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