2018 Adult Foster Home: Resident and Community Characteristics Report on Adult Foster Homes

Adult foster homes (AFH) are small, residential settings that are licensed to provide assistance to older persons or adults with disabilities. These settings may offer a home-like setting in which residents’ independence, personal choice, and decision-making are promoted. Homes may be licensed for one to five residents and must be staffed 24-hours daily to respond to residents’ scheduled and unscheduled needs or requests. Adult foster homes offer a variety of services, including daily meals, housekeeping and laundry, assistance with personal care needs, medication administration, monitoring of health conditions, communication with residents’ health care providers, and social and recreational activities. This report, the fourth in a series prepared by the Institute on Aging, provides an in-depth look at a sample of Oregon AFHs. As of Fall 2017, there were 1,584 AFHs in the state. All but three counties (Gilliam, Morrow, and Wallowa) had at least one AFH and Multnomah County had 384 (24 percent of all AFHs). In comparison, there were 227 assisted living (AL), 297 residential care (RC), and 137 nursing facilities (NF). Despite the larger number of AFHs, these homes have a smaller total capacity compared to the other settings. The total licensed capacity for all AFHs was 7,064 compared to 26,774 in assisted living, residential care, and memory care communities, and 11,464 in nursing facilities. This AFH study has four primary objectives: Describe AFH characteristics, including staffing types and levels, policies, and monthly charges and fees. Describe current residents’ health and social characteristics. Compare current results with prior Oregon surveys and national studies (as available), and identify changes and current trends. Describe characteristics that could affect access, quality, or cost. The study findings are intended to provide information that state agency staff, legislators, community-based care owners, and consumers might use to guide their decisions. As relevant, we compare the current results to results from three prior years