How many staff a Florida assisted living facility must have

How does Florida set minimum staffing in assisted living?

Rule 59A-36.010 of the Florida Administrative Code sets a minimum number of direct-care staff hours per week based on the combined count of residents, day-care participants and respite residents, starting at 168 hours for five or fewer and rising in steps to 539 hours for 86 to 95, with 42 more hours for each additional 20.

Source: Fla. Admin. Code r. 59A-36.010(3)(a).

Only staff actually working count. Open positions, people on leave, and employees who only cook, clean, keep books or do maintenance are excluded. An administrator who is on the schedule and actively involved in care can count.

Does a Florida ALF need someone awake overnight?

Yes for larger buildings: a facility with 17 or more residents must have at least one staff member awake at all hours, and every ALF must always have someone on the premises with current first aid and CPR certification.

Below 17 residents a staff member may sleep on site at night. That covers most of Cape Coral's and Lehigh Acres's six-bed homes. If a parent gets up repeatedly at night or has wandered, a sleeping caregiver is a real difference, and it is worth asking how night calls are answered and how fast.

What does the Florida staffing minimum look like on an ordinary shift?

The minimum is thin: 335 weekly hours for a 40-resident ALF averages about two people on duty at any moment across the 168 hours of a week, and the rule requires more staff whenever residents' needs are not being met.

AHCA can order a facility to staff above the minimum if inspectors find care or supervision inadequate. Facilities must show residents or their representatives the direct-care staffing schedule on request, so ask to see the actual week, not the marketing ratio.

What training must Florida ALF administrators and caregivers complete?

Administrators must be at least 21, have a high school diploma or equivalent, clear a Level 2 background screening and pass AHCA's core training and competency test within 90 days of hire, then keep up continuing education; direct-care staff complete the training required by rule 59A-36.011.

Facilities that advertise Alzheimer's care, and those that will hold the new memory care license, add dementia training under s. 430.5025. ECC and LMH buildings add their own training. A fair question in a Fort Myers tour is how many of today's caregivers have finished dementia training, and when.

Can one administrator run several Lee County ALFs?

Yes, within limits: one administrator may oversee up to three ALFs, or several on one campus, if a manager is appointed for each, with a narrower arrangement allowed for three small facilities of 16 beds or fewer within 15 miles of one another.

That arrangement is common among Cape Coral's small residential homes, several of which share owners. Ask who is on site on a normal day and who to call when something goes wrong after hours.