Assisted Living

Initial Licensing & Renewal Information

Renewal notices are sent out 60 days before your expiration date. RENEW ONLINE

All assisted living residences in Rhode Island must be licensed by the Center for Health Facility Regulations. Assisted living residences are a special combination of housing, meals, and personal assistance designed to meet the needs of those who require help with activities of daily living. Assisted living is a residential option that promotes self-direction and participation in decisions regarding care and services.

Services that are common in assisted living include: housekeeping, three meals a day, assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, 24-hour security and staff availability, health promotion and exercise programs, medication management, personal laundry services, social and recreational activities, emergency call systems, supervision, and transportation.

Initial Applications

Renewals

Online Renewals

Common Licensee Forms

Other Licensee Forms

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Levels of Assisted Living Licenses

Basic services

Unlike a nursing home, an assisted living community is not a skilled nursing facility. The basic level of assisted living is designed to be the senior's home but a more secure and social environment that can provide meals and services. Some communities around the state have skilled nursing facilities as an extension of the community to help make transitions during senior years simple and less stressful.

Special care / Memory care services

Many communities around the state may have either a memory care wing or are entirely dedicated to memory care. These communities include all of the services provided in regular assisted living, but daily life is focused around the need of residents with Alzheimer's or some form of dementia. Communities with memory care options also provide the comfort of smoothly transitioning while aging in place, should memory care become necessary.

Limited health services

Some communities around the state have acquired the limited health services license. This allows the community to provide more nursing services by appropriately trained clinical staff. While hospice services are welcome at assisted living residences, communities with this license can care for residents on hospice that become bed bound.

Additional Licenses

Medication management

Some, but not all, assisted living residences are licensed to centrally store and administer medications.

Fire Code

A special fire code license is necessary for residents who are not able to leave the building without assistance.

New Law on Electronic Monitoring in Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities

A new law is in place in Rhode Island related to the electronic monitoring of a resident’s room or private living unit in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The law allows for the use of electronic monitoring devices in residents’ rooms (provided that the resident or resident representative acting on behalf of the resident, as well as the resident’s roommate or roommate’s representative acting on behalf of the roommate, consent to such electronic monitoring in writing). While nothing previously prohibited the use of electronic monitoring devices in rooms, this law puts more structure around the use of such devices. For example, the law calls for the use of standard forms to indicate consent for the use of electronic monitoring devices.

RIDOH is in the process of developing these forms, and additional guidance for facilities on the implementation of this law. These forms will be provided to facilities in the coming weeks. Guidance will follow.