What is it called?

Residential Care Facility

What services are provided?

Facility must provide

o       Assistance with activities of daily living

Facility has the discretion to provide

o       Residential nursing

o       Medication administration

§         Must be administered by licensed nursing personnel or qualified medication aides

o       Comprehensive nursing care may be provided to a medically stable resident for a medical condition that will eventually resolve itself, if the facility of appropriately staffed

Third-party services

o       Hospice services through a licensed provider is permitted for a terminally-ill resident

Who can be admitted?

Individuals with a major metal illness if the individual’s mental health service provider determines that the individual’s needs can be met and if the facility can perform the necessary comprehensive care plan

Who is inappropriate?

o       Needs 24-hour comprehensive nursing care or oversight

o       Fails to contract with a licensed provider for required comprehensive nursing care, oversight, or rehabilitative therapies (needed for less than 24-hour nursing care)

o       Medically instable

o       Needs total assistance with any two or more of eating, toileting, or transferring

§         (unless the adult is medically stable and the facility can meet the adult’s needs)

o       Needs cannot be met by the facility

What training is required for direct care staff?

Initial training

o       Emergency procedures

o       Review of ethical considerations and confidentiality in resident care and records

o       Personal introduction to and instruction in the needs of each resident

Continuing training

o       Annual in-service education and training

Additional requirements

o       At least one staff member with current CPR and first aid certification must be awake and on-site at all times

Is nurse staffing required?

·        If residential nursing care or medication administration is provided, a licensed nurse must be involved in the identification and documentation of services to be provided

·        At least one nursing staff member must be on site at all times if 50 or more residents regularly receive residential nursing services or medication administration

·        An additional nursing staff member must be awake and on duty at all times for every additional 50 residents

Is any public payment available?

·        Yes.  The Medicaid program may pay for assisted living services through a Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Waiver if the facility is licensed.

·        Additional funding is available through the state Residential Assistance Care Program

o       Limited services are covered

o       Residents must be aged, blind, mentally ill, disabled, low income, and/or cannot live alone but do not qualify for nursing home care

o       Payments are based on a flat rate

For More Information See:

Department of Health

Division of Regulations and Information Services (ISDH)

(317) 233 - 1325

www.in.gov/isdh/regsvcs/providers

Indiana Long Term Care Ombudsman

(800) 545 - 7763