Caring for the elderly has become a major issue in America. Most American families at some point must deal with aging members whose needs for care are beyond what the family can provide. When it becomes clear that parents or relatives can no longer live at home without such assistance or memory care, the family faces decisions that are often complicated and difficult. The options for senior care are unfamiliar to most, and have changed significantly in the last several years. Although the image of nursing homes and large assisted living/memory care facilities usually comes to mind, new senior care options such as adult family homes are increasing. These small homes with eight or fewer elders are located in residential neighborhoods, and offer a home-like setting while providing needed care.
This book provides information and assistance in exploring the option of adult family homes for senior care. These are also called adult residential care, group homes, and board and care homes. The many advantages of this type of elder living situation will be fully described. The process of evaluating both personal and family considerations in selecting an adult family home and the process of assessing them as a business opportunity are also included in detail.
To give perspective, here is some background on elder care in America. Changes in family structure, lifestyles, and economics since the mid-1900s created an industry to provide elder care. Many American families were no longer able—or willing—to manage the day-to-day care needs of aging parents or relatives who were increasingly frail or ill. Historically, societies have had poorhouses and old folks homes. The United States characteristically turned these charitable facilities into a vast capitalistic enterprise.
The senior care and housing industry emerged in the 1950s and 1960s as nursing homes where elders received meals, housing, and assistance with daily living needs. These were called many names: nursing homes, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities, nursing facilities, custodial care facilities, long-term care facilities. Their size varied from a few residents, such as 10 to 12, to large institutions housing more than 200 residents. The industry was further shaped by a series of laws.
Social Security in 1935 set the stage for the private enterprise model in the U.S. In an attempt to keep elders out of public poor houses, the act prohibited payments to residents of public institutions. That sparked the rise of private nursing homes.
The Hill-Burton Act of 1954, primarily meant to fund hospitals, was expanded to offer loan
