Board And Care Homes

There are over 2,000 board and care homes in the Greater Minneapolis area. Knowing which ones are good is the job of Assisted Living Locators.

Board and Care Homes

Board & care homes (B&C) offer the same types of services as the larger communities, but service is provided in a small residential setting. The intimate setting afforded by board and care homes allows for closer oversight of residents and is accompanied by a higher staff-to-resident ratio. They share the same Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE) license as the bigger buildings. Both are regulated and monitored by the Minnesota Department of Health.

In Minnesota, board and care homes operate in residential neighborhoods and generally have a limit of six residents. Some operators convert existing houses into B&C homes. Others are purpose-built. Driving down the street, you probably would not know that a house is operating as a board and care provider. From the outside, the home looks just like any other on the street, except of course, for the ADA-compliant entrances and walkways.

Board and care homes range from three to six bedrooms, offering both private and shared rooms. Not all houses have private bathrooms. Rooms with private baths can be more expensive and often depend on whether the house was purpose-built or a retrofit of an existing structure.

The benefit of a B&C is the small size and higher staff ratio. In Minneapolis, the good homes have at least two caregivers for every six residents. A more fragile resident or one needing close 24-hour supervision benefits from this type of environment since it provides the closest thing to having a private caregiver without the cost.

Houses have different arrangements for staffing. There seems to be an equal split of B&C homes with on-site live-in caregivers and those that have caregivers working in shifts. In a few instances, the owners of the home live on the premises and have designated certain rooms for the care of residents, perhaps using the downstairs for the residents and maintaining their own quarters on the second floor.

Is Board and Care the Same as Assisted Living?

Both board and care homes and the larger assisted living facilities like Sunrise Senior Living or Brookdale Senior Living share the same Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE) license. They are both assisted living communities regulated and monitored by the Minnesota Department of Health. From a licensing perspective, the only difference between the two is the number of residents permitted to live in the facility and whether the facility can be in a residential neighborhood.

Board and Care Homes

Many seniors, as they age and have increasing needs, require help with what is known as Activities of Daily Life (ADLs). ADLs include:

Personal hygiene – bathing/showering, and grooming
Dressing – choosing clothes and physically dressing and undressing oneself
Eating – the ability to eat independently
Maintaining continence – being able to mentally and physically use the toilet. This includes the ability to get on and off and clean oneself
Transferring – being able to stand from a sitting position, as well as get in and out of bed
Mobility – the ability to walk independently from one location to another
Medication Management – ordering, managing, and ingesting medications on a schedule independently

Assistance with ADLs can be performed by caregivers or CNAs. It does not require a skilled professional such as a nurse or doctor. Seniors who need this type of custodial care for their ADLs usually do best in a home-like assisted living environment rather than in a medical-style nursing facility. Those whose needs may require round-the-clock, 24-hour supervision often find that a board and care style of assisted living in Minneapolis may be most suited to their needs.

Who Should Live at a Board and Care?

Board and Care homes are most appropriate for residents needing a lot of hands-on physical care or those who do not benefit from the dining rooms, movie theaters, and activities of larger communities. In the Minneapolis area, the majority of B&Cs cater to residents with mid- to late-stage dementia and conditions that make the individual no longer able to ambulate.

How Much do Board & Care Homes Cost?

Board & Care homes may be slightly less expensive than the larger communities. Whereas the large properties charge a base rate plus a separate rate for care, board and care pricing is all-inclusive. Prices may be as low as $4,000/month for a shared room in the Minneapolis suburbs to $9,000/month for a private room with private bath in more upscale areas. Board and care homes are not covered by Medicare. In limited instances, Medicaid may cover costs, but in general, it is best to assume that care homes are private pay.

What to Look for in a Board and Care Home

There are over 2,000 board and care homes in the Greater Minneapolis area, and they run the gamut in quality. Of all the types of senior care, board and care homes are where it is best to use a trained professional in your search. Senior Living Advisors, sometimes called Senior Placement Experts, are specialists in identifying good board and care homes. Their services are offered at no charge to the family. In Minneapolis, Assisted Living Locators is one of the most highly regarded, using a multi-level review process to compile a roster of quality care homes to meet different requirements, costs, and care needs.