Each residential care facility is licensed as one of the following types, which are generally grouped by age. However, facilities may serve residents of other ages if licensed, capable of meeting the needs of the client, and the resident is compatible with other residents.

For elderly adults (ages 60 years and older):

• Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE): Also known as assisted living, these facilities provide 24-hour non-medical care, supervision, and assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing and grooming. Facilities may provide incidental medical services under special care plans as well as hospice or dementia care. Facilities also provide services to persons under 60 with compatible needs.
• Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC):Provide a long term continuing care contract that includes independent living units, residential care/assisted living services, and skilled nursing care, usually in one location, and usually for a resident’s lifetime. This setting provides activities, help with meals, housekeeping, and other support services.

For adults (ages 18 through 59):

• Adult Residential Facilities (ARF): Provide 24-hour non-medical care for adults ages 18 to 59 who are unable to manage their daily needs. The adults may have physical, developmental, and/or mental disabilities.
• Residential Care Facilities for the Chronically Ill (RCFCI): Provide care and supervision to no more than 25 adults with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) or the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
• Social Rehabilitation Facilities: Provide 24-hour non-medical care and supervision in group settings to adults recovering from mental illness who temporarily need assistance, guidance, or counseling.

For children:

• Community Treatment Facilities: Provide mental health treatment services for children in a group setting and a secure environment.
• Group Homes: Provide 24-hour non-medical care and supervision, and social, psychological, and behavioral programs for troubled children in a structured environment.
• Small Family Homes: Provide 24-hour care and supervision in the licensee’s residence for six or fewer children with mental, developmental, or physical disabilities.
• Transitional Housing Placement: Provide care and supervision for children at least 16 years of age participating in an independent living arrangement.

Licensed Beds (Data Source: CA DSS 08/12/2016)

This is the maximum number of residents that the facility is licensed to serve.

Clients Served (Data Source: CA DSS 08/12/2016)

When choosing residential care it is important to select a facility that serves people with similar needs and characteristics. Each facility serves a specific type of client.

Age groups:

• Elderly: Ages 60 years or older
• Adults and elderly: Ages 18 years or older
• Adults: Ages 18 to 59 years
• Children: Ages 17 years or younger
• Children/Toddler: Ages 18 to 30 months
• Children/Infant: Birth to 24 months

Conditions:

• Developmentally disabled*: People with life-long disabilities that come from mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, or other conditions that require similar treatment.
• Developmentally/Mentally disabled*: People with a chronic psychiatric problem and a developmental disability such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, or other similar condition.
• Medically fragile: People who are acutely ill and in an unstable condition.
• Mentally disabled^: People with a chronic psychiatric problem. A mentally disabled individual has trouble adapting to situations and functioning in general.
• Restrictive health condition: People who have health conditions that require a facility to follow specific regulations in serving the client. The state defines 11 health conditions as restrictive: administration of oxygen; catheter care; colostomy/ileostomy care; contractures; diabetes; enemas, suppositories, and/or fecal impaction removal; incontinence of bowel and/or bladder; injections; use of Intermittent Positive Pressure Breathing Machine; stage 1 and 2 dermal ulcers; and wound care. The state has outlined specific care procedures for these conditions that must be followed by the facility.
• Substance abuse: People who use alcohol or drugs excessively, resulting in physiological or psychological dependency.

* Residential care facilities that serve developmentally disabled clients require a referral from a regional center service coordinator.Find a regional center.

^ Get help finding care through your local County Mental Health Department.

Locked Perimeters (Data Source: CA DSS 08/12/2016)

This information item applies only to Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE). To prevent residents with dementia from wandering away, some RCFEs install safety devices that require a key code to exit a unit of the facility, the facility itself, or the facility’s fenced yard. A facility with a locked perimeter must have a fire clearance.

Delayed Exits (Data Source: CA DSS 08/12/2016)

This information item applies only to Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE). To prevent residents with dementia from wandering away, some RCFEs install safety devices that delay the opening of a door 30 seconds after the handle is operated. Units with delayed exits are meant to secure, but not lock, facilities by delaying the door opening enough to alert staff when residents are trying to leave. A facility with delayed exit mechanisms must have a fire clearance.