Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs) — sometimes called “Assisted Living” (e.g., 14+ beds) or “Board and Care” (e.g., 4 to 6 beds) — are non–medical facilities that provide room, meals, housekeeping, supervision, storage and distribution of medication, and personal care assistance with basic activities like hygiene, dressing, eating, bathing and transferring. RCFEs serve persons 60 years of age and older.

- From a licensing standpoint, there is no difference. In California, facilities describing themselves as assisted living and offering personal care and supervision are licensed as RCFEs.

- RCFEs are dominated by smaller (i.e., 6 to 15 beds), locally owned facilities with shared rooms. Larger facilities usually offer private apartments and tend to be corporately owned. Many larger facilities have different fee options depending on the type of care needed.

Yes. RCFEs must meet care and safety standards set by the State and are licensed and inspected by the Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing (CCL).

Maybe. Some facilities offer special services to persons with dementia if they meet certain licensing requirements. (CCR 87705-87707) Make sure that the facility has experience in providing dementia care and meets all of the state licensing standards to provide dementia care.

The cost depends on a variety of factors such as the type of accommodations (e.g., apartment, private room, shared room), the range of services needed, and the geographic area. The median monthly cost in California is $5,000, with costs ranging from a low of around $3000 a month to over $10,000 a month in some areas. Specialized services like dementia or hospice care are more costly.