Lakeland Senior AdvisorWhat is a Florida adult family care home?
An adult family care home (AFCH) is a full-time, family-style living arrangement in a private home, licensed by AHCA under Part II of Chapter 429, Florida Statutes, in which the licensee lives in the home and provides room, board and personal care to as many as five unrelated disabled adults or frail elders.
AHCA's locator shows 16 licensed adult family care homes in Polk County, most of them in Haines City (4), Winter Haven (3), Bartow (3); all are listed on the adult day and family care roster.
How does an AFCH differ from a six-bed assisted living facility?
The AFCH provider must live in the home and may serve no more than five residents, while a small ALF can be staffed by employees who live elsewhere and is licensed under Part I of Chapter 429 with its own admission, staffing and fire-safety rules.
Many small care homes on residential streets in Lakeland and Winter Haven are ALFs rather than AFCHs. The roster lists the license each one actually holds.
Who does well in an adult family care home?
An older adult who needs supervision and personal care, would rather live in a household than a building, and needs no more nursing than a visiting home health agency can supply is the usual fit.
The trade-off is depth: fewer activities and less backup. Ask who covers when the provider is away and what happens with a medical emergency at night.
Do OSS or Medicaid pay for adult family care homes?
Florida's optional state supplementation (OSS) covers eligible AFCH residents as well as ALF residents, under the same income standard in rule 65A-2.036, and some Medicaid long-term care plans contract with AFCHs.
Ask the home whether it accepts OSS residents and whether it contracts with your parent's Medicaid long-term care plan.
How do we check an adult family care home's license?
Search AHCA's FloridaHealthFinder locator with the facility type Adult Family Care Home and the county set to Polk; the profile shows the license number, licensed capacity, status and any sanctions.
Our roster lists every Polk County AFCH with its license number.
Side by side
| An adult family care home has | An adult family care home does not have | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Five residents at most | Rotating shifts of employees |
| Provider | A licensee who lives in the home | An owner who lives elsewhere |
| Care | Room, board and personal care | On-site nursing care |
Built from Chapters 408, 429 and 651, Florida Statutes; Florida Administrative Code chapters 59A-36 and 65A-2; AHCA, DCF, OIR and Department of Elder Affairs publications; and the CareScout and VA rate tables cited on this page. Our editorial standards explain how each figure is checked.
