Fort Myers Senior AdvisorWhat is an adult family care home in Florida?
An adult family care home (AFCH) is a private residence licensed by AHCA under Part II of Chapter 429, Florida Statutes, where the licensee lives in the home and provides room, board and personal care to no more than five adults who are frail elders or have disabilities and are not related to the provider.
AHCA's locator shows 16 licensed adult family care homes in Lee County, 8 in Lehigh Acres, 4 in Fort Myers, 3 in Cape Coral, 1 in Alva; each appears on the adult day and family care roster.
How is an adult family care home different from a small ALF in Cape Coral?
In an AFCH the licensed provider must live in the home and capacity tops out at five residents, while a six-bed ALF may be staffed by employees who live elsewhere and follows Part I of Chapter 429 and rule chapter 59A-36, with their own admission, staffing and fire-safety rules.
Most of the small homes on Cape Coral's and Lehigh Acres's residential streets are ALFs rather than AFCHs. The roster's license column tells you which, and the rules that apply follow from it.
Who is a good fit for an adult family care home?
An AFCH can suit someone who needs supervision and help with personal care, prefers a family setting to a large building, and does not need nursing care beyond what a visiting home health agency can provide.
It can be a poor fit for someone who wants many activities or other residents to socialize with, or whose needs are likely to rise quickly. Ask what happens when the provider takes a day off or a vacation and who substitutes.
Can Medicaid or OSS help pay for an adult family care home in Florida?
Optional State Supplementation can help an eligible low-income resident with room and board in an AFCH as well as in an ALF, and some Medicaid long-term care plans contract with adult family care homes for services.
Ask the home whether it accepts OSS residents and which long-term care plans it is contracted with, then confirm with the plan's case manager.
How are adult family care homes inspected in Florida?
AHCA licenses and inspects AFCHs, and the long-term care ombudsman program covers their residents just as it covers ALF and nursing home residents; complaints go to AHCA at 1-888-419-3456.
Inspection histories for AFCHs are not posted in the same way as larger ALFs', so ask the provider for the most recent inspection report and the license certificate.
The short version
| An adult family care home is | An adult family care home is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Up to five residents | A six-bed or larger ALF |
| Provider | Licensee lives in the home | Staffed only by shift workers |
| Care | Room, board and personal care | Nursing care by its own staff |
Built from Chapters 400, 408, 429 and 651 of the Florida Statutes, Fla. Admin. Code chapters 59A-4, 59A-36 and 65A-2, and AHCA, DCF, OIR, Elder Affairs, CMS, VA and CareScout publications cited on the page; see our editorial standards.
