There is recent news from the state about senior living facilities.  Effective June 7, 2012, House Bill 2056 redefines the legal definition of an assisted living center.  After June 7, 2012, adult family homes will no longer be included in the term “assisted living center” and the term “assisted living center” will be used for boarding homes.

According to the government affairs director at the Washington Health Care Association, boarding homes are facilities with seven or more congregate senior apartments where residents receive care and services.  Those services include housekeeping, meals, snacks, laundry, organized activities, health support and intermittent nursing.

Adult family homes are residences licensed to serve up to seven residents, usually in a residential setting, so there is no licensure requirement for such things as two-hour burn doors or indoor sprinkler systems.  Services vary within the adult family home.

The House Bill is meant to clarify terms for the public at large.  So, of the 542 licensed facilities in Washington previously called boarding homes, that term will soon become obsolete.

Even though the terminology has been clarified, finding the right match in services, staffing, and fellow residents as well as finding an available assisted living in Vancouver WA and Clark County or another senior housing option can be quite the undertaking.  And that’s where we come in.