Everything You Need to Know About Adult Foster Care
A Guide to Adult Foster Care
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Typically when you imagine foster care, you think about infants, children, and teens who need a safe place to live. However, there is also adult foster care for individuals over 18. Foster homes for adults provide a home environment for those with special needs. These needs can include disabilities, mental health issues, and aging-related conditions, such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease. An adult foster home is also referred to as elder foster care or adult residential care.
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What Is Adult Foster Care?
To be classified as an adult foster home, the home setting must be approved and supervised by someone who is licensed to work with groups in foster care. This licensing is commonly provided by the local or state Department of Family Services or Office of Housing and Adult Services. An adult foster care home will likely have a house manager, house parents, counselors, social workers, and legal aids. These individuals are paid to take care of the seniors who are living in the home. Additionally, homes may hire outside service providers like private chefs and housekeepers.
What Is it Like to Live in Adult Foster Care?
Most states limit the number of adults who can live in an adult foster home to six residents, according to the AARP. This ensures that each individual receives adequate care and supervision in a home-like environment. Each senior has their own bedroom, but everyone usually shares a common living and dining room.
Adult foster care homes typically provide help with residents’ daily needs, such as transportation or preparing meals. They may also assist with getting dressed and doing household chores. Some foster homes for older adults will also host social or recreational activities for the residents. Overall, the idea is to provide a home-like environment with social stimulation and daily care so that seniors and adults with disabilities can maintain some autonomy over their lives.
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Do Senior Foster Homes Provide Medical Services?
Those living in a senior foster home usually require a low level of care. In some homes, you have the option of hiring a skilled nurse to provide medical services. However, most adult foster homes require older adults to transition to another type of facility, like a nursing home, when they require a greater degree of medical care.
How Does Adult Foster Care Differ From Senior Living Homes?
The main difference between adult foster care and other senior care homes is that foster care is a state-licensed program. To establish an adult foster home, the managers must get licensed through the state. Other senior care options, such as assisted living or independent living, are typically private. In addition, other senior care facilities have accommodations for a larger number of residents, compared to the max number of six seniors in adult foster homes.
Pro Tip: Do you need help with daily tasks but are unsure about adult foster care? Check out SeniorLiving.org’s guide on assisted living vs. nursing homes to learn more about your options!
Another key difference between adult foster care and other types of senior housing is that care providers live in the same house as the adults in foster care. This is not the case with assisted living, active senior housing, nursing homes, or independent living for seniors.
Does the Veterans Administration Have Medical Foster Homes for Seniors?
Yes, the VA does provide medical foster homes for senior veterans. These foster homes provide care for up to three veterans per household. Each veteran is registered with Home Based Primary Care to receive this type of living arrangement. In a Veterans Administration foster home for seniors, the VA provides a team of medical professionals, including physicians, pharmacists, therapists, and social workers to assist with the veterans' needs.1
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Adult Foster Care Near Me
Finding adult foster homes near you can be a challenge. One place to start is your local Department of Family Services. They may have a listing of the local foster homes for older adults that you can contact independently. Another option is to check the local newspapers for advertisements of foster homes for adults with openings. You can also find foster homes for adults through word of mouth and by asking local senior service organizations for recommendations.
Did You Know? There are more than 30,000 licensed adult foster homes across the United States.
Once you find a senior foster home, do your research to ensure the home is licensed and safe. Start with their licensing information, which you can verify with your local Department of Family Services office. Also, check out SeniorLiving.org’s senior care directory to see if there are any reviews or information about the specific home. Online review sites and social media are great places to check for up-to-date information from actual residents and their families.
Before you move into an adult foster home, request a site visit. Talk to some of the older adults who live there to make sure this is the type of home environment you want. You should also read over any contractual information, and check the fine print before you commit to living in an adult foster home.
How Much Does Adult Foster Care Cost?
It often costs less to live in adult foster care than it does to move into a nursing home. For example, the average cost of a VA medical foster home for seniors is $1,500 to $3,000 a month, depending on the level of care and monthly income received by the veteran. Other adult foster homes generally fall within the same price range.
Does Medicare or Medicaid Pay for Adult Foster Homes for Seniors?
Medicare does not pay for any costs associated with assisted living communities, including adult foster homes.2Â If you meet the low-income requirements to receive Medicaid, you may be able to receive some benefits to help you pay for housing. Some states also offer Medicaid waivers for community-based care facilities, including adult foster homes.
FYI: If you’re looking for more ways to pay for adult foster care, consider long-term care insurance to help cover some of the costs.
Since Medicaid is a state-run program, check with your home state and Medicaid office to see which services are covered. You can also check with individual foster homes for seniors to see if they are contracted to receive payments from Medicaid. If so, then there is a good chance you can pay for accommodations or services using Medicaid benefits.
Veterans Affairs. (2023). Medical Foster Homes.
Medicare.gov. (2023). What are my other long-term care choices?
