Nursing Facility vs Assisted Living

Assisted living facility — An assisted living facility serves residents who need help with activities of daily living plus supervision, in a residential, home-like environment, without the 24-hour skilled nursing care a nursing facility provides. AH-V.1c tests the site-of-care menu: assisted living is the middle option between independent living and a skilled nursing facility, and it is a common LTC benefit setting.

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An RCFE provides room, board, and personal care in a home-like setting and is not licensed to provide 24-hour skilled nursing care — A Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) — often called board and care or assisted living — provides housing, meals, and personal care (help with ADLs and medication supervision) in a non-institutional, home-like setting. RCFEs are not licensed to provide 24-hour skilled nursing care; a resident whose needs rise to that level must move to a skilled nursing facility. Long-term care insurance distinguishes covered settings because daily benefit amounts and eligibility differ by facility type and level of care. Understanding the difference between an RCFE and a skilled nursing facility is necessary to match a client to the right facility and to predict what the policy will pay.

National insurance concept