Foster Homes For Seniors: Are They a Good Long-Term Care Option?

Seniors often become unable to live independently and need to find a place where they can live with caregivers. Unfortunately, some caretakers of the elderly are better than others and older seniors are vulnerable to abuse and neglect. When a senior is subject to abuse or maltreatment, Alameda County elder abuse lawyers at Evans Law Firm can fight for the rights of the senior to obtain full and fair compensation for any damages that result.

Researching care options carefully can help seniors avoid being victimized. One option that seniors could potentially consider is an adult foster home – but there are pros and cons to this type of living environment.

Are Adult Foster Homes a Good Long-Term Care Option?

Adult foster homes typically provide care to seniors in a home-like environment that is a part of the local community. These facilities are also called board and care homes, adult care homes, or residential homes.  They are an alternative to more institutional settings because they aim to create a more family-like atmosphere and are part of traditional neighborhoods rather than being more set apart and isolated.

In most circumstances, adult foster homes are an option for seniors who need help with basic activities of daily living but who do not require as much hands-on care as nursing homes provide. Clinical care typically cannot be provided in adult foster homes, and these facilities do not have all of the amenities that a more traditional nursing home or assisted living facility might have.

Adult foster homes usually do provide 24/7 supervision to the seniors who live within them. Many are owner-occupied, so at least one of the caregivers actually lives in the home with the adults who are being cared for. Meals are provided, along with supportive assistance. Seniors are able to get social interaction, as well as help with things such as managing medication, getting to medical appointments, bathing, and getting dressed. 

Seniors are able to maintain much of their autonomy while living in these adult foster homes, and many do activities outside of the home such as attending programs at local senior centers.  These facilities can help to keep seniors out of nursing homes for longer, saving money and allowing them to maintain some level of independence.  The homes also usually cater to only a small number of people, so there may be as few as six or eight seniors living in an adult foster home – which is far less than would live in a typical nursing home environment.

There are approximately 30,000 licensed adult foster homes throughout the United States, with many of the people living in them senior women.  However, one of the big problems with these facilities is that quality and standards can vary dramatically because of a lack of national guidelines. Certification, training, licensing, and oversight vary by state, so seniors may take a risk when they chose this option because the facility they end up in may not actually provide the safe, stable and family-like home they expect.

For those considering an adult foster home for themselves or a family member, careful research is necessary to find the right facility. If abuse or neglect does occur, it is also important to understand how the law provides protection and to take action. Contact Evans Law Firm online or call 415-441-8669 for a free initial consultation today if you or someone you love was abused or neglected by a caregiver or foster home or other facility and you want help from Alameda County elder abuse lawyers in understanding your rights and holding responsible parties accountable for injury.