An adult care home is a for-profit assisted living facility providing long-term home care in a neighborhood. It is meant to provide care for compensation to adults who are elderly, physically disabled, or developmentally disabled. A potential adult care home owner/operator should first find out what the industry is doing because several steps must be performed before a person will be granted a license to operate an adult care home business.
In Oregon, when a county has too many adult care homes, no more licenses will be granted for that area. Calling the local State Department on Aging and inquiring about the requirements for operating an adult care home in the chosen area will supply the potential owner/operator with all the information needed. It is also possible to find what information is needed by pointing a browser to the website of the state in question (www.whateverstate.gov) and then clicking on “Human Services,” “Health Services,” “Department of Aging,” or “State Agencies.”
Buying A House Is Easy, Acquiring A License To Operate An Adult Care Home . . .
It goes without stating that to operate an adult care home business a person needs a house. A potential owner/operator can obtain one by simply buying a house and then remodeling it according to the stipulations set forth by the state in which the house will be located. Another option is to purchase an adult care home business from an operator who has listed the home business for sale. Some owner/operators lease their adult care homes, others lease their adult care homes with the option to buy. In either case, the house as well as the owner/operator and any employees will be inspected by the state and only after the state has issued a license can the doors be opened for business.
If the intention is to service five clients, then the house will have to be remodeled so there will be a private room for each client as well as the resident manager and the substitute caregiver. Every room in the house will have to have a smoke alarm that meets the Fire Marshall’s standards, and at least one fire extinguisher will have to be on every floor of the building. These are just a few of the requirements.
After the house is inspected the owner/operator and the employees will come under scrutiny. The owner/operator and resident manager must be of legal age; they must be of good physical and mental health; they must be of sound mind; they must submit a physician report testifying to the fact they are of good physical health, mental health, and sound mind; and they must submit to a criminal records check – which may include finger printing – and pass the check. All of these items must be submitted and approved before a license will be granted. In some states, for the first year, the owner/operator is required to be the principle caregiver in his/hers first home by living in and operating the home.
In Oregon, adult care homes are licensed as a class I, class II, or class III home depending on the training and experience of the owner/operator and the resident manager. A class I license is granted when the owner/operator and resident manager have completed and passed the basic training course and examination. An owner/operator will be granted a class II license when he/she and the resident manager have completed and passed the basic training course and provided proof of two years full-time experience in providing direct care to an elderly or physically disabled person. To get a class III license the owner/operator and employees must complete and pass the basic training course and provide proof of three years full-time experience providing direct care to the elderly or physically disabled persons who required full assistance with four or more activities of daily living (ADLs).
Being Your Own Boss Is A Boost To Building Self-Esteem
Since the class of the home is dependent on the training and experience of the owner/operator and the resident manager, indirectly they are responsible for the amount of profit the home can generate.
Being responsible for the profits (losses) of one’s business is what working for oneself is all about. The owner who knows his/her business helps people can feel good about his/her business and the profits it generates.
Source:
State of Arizona: Department of Health Services - Division of Licensing Serices. "Assisted Living Homes/Centers, Adult Foster Care Homes and Adult Day Health care Facilities" (accessed January 22, 2010).
State of Minnesota: Department of Health - Compliance Monitoring Division. "Licensure Application Forms for Health Care Providers" (accessed January 22, 2010).
State of Minnesota: Rice County Social Services. "Adult Foster Care" (accessed January 22, 2010).
State of Montana: Department of Public Health & Human Services. "Adult foster Care Licensure Information" (accessed January 22, 2010).
State of New York: Department of Health - Listing of Divisions (accessed January 22, 2010).
State of North Carolina: Division of Health Service Regualtion - Adult Care Licensure Section. "License an Adult Care Home" (accessed January 22, 2010).
State of Oreon: Licenses, Permits and Registrations."Adult Foster Home" (accessed January 22, 2010).
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