Learn About Oregon’s Assisted Living Rules and Regulations
A personal note: Before I get into talking about Oregon’s assisted living rules and regulations, I have to say, I just love the state of Oregon on a personal level. I took my family there recently and spent some time on the Oregon Coast.
One thing I noticed was the lack of very ‘obvious’ assisted living facilities. Driving around, I think I maybe saw one. I imagine, since Oregon has a lot of rural areas, many of the assisted living options, especially smaller family-style care homes are probably tucked back into the trees and hills.
Who is responsible for the oversight and regulation of Assisted Living in Oregon?
The State of Oregon, and their Department of Human Services, has a ‘sub-department’ for Services for Seniors & People with Disabilities. This is your ‘go to’ department regarding Assisted Living & Residential Care in Oregon.
Their site offers a good deal of great tools, information and support.
For the ‘consumer’ you will find:
- Caregiver Support: With links to the Family Caregiving Program
- Long Term Care: With information on how to fund care, including Medicare, Long-Term Care Insurance, Oregon Project Independence, and Medical Long-Term Care Services. Within this section is another link to they types of facilities found in Oregon, including Assisted Living.
- Independent Living Services
- Reporting Adult Abuse
There is a ‘Provider’ section that has links and information relevant to:
- Licensing: This goes to a page for DHS Licensing and Regulatory Oversight, of which there is a program page for Assisted Living and Residential Care Facilities.
- Background Checks
- Other free tools and resources for providers
Where Can I View, and Get A Copy of Oregon’s Assisted Living Rules and Regulations?
On the Department of Human Services site, you will be able to view a 100+ page .pdf document for Residential Care and Assisted Living Facilities.
The document, as mentioned, is huge, and goes far past the scope of this blog post, but I will highlight were to get it, and some important information contained within it.
First, to view and get a copy of Chapter 11, Division 54 Oregon Administrative Rules for Assisted Living and Residential Care, you’ll need to go here:
http://www.dhs.state.or.us/policy/spd/rules/411_054.pdf
Since it is a .PDF, you can easily save it, and print it on most computers.
As stated in the document, the purpose is to: “…establish standards for assisted living
and residential care facilities that promote the availability of a wide range of
individualized services for elderly and persons with disabilities, in a
homelike environment.”
The purpose goes further, and is located at the start of the document.
I always like to point out the “Definitions” section, since how each state defines assisted living can vary from every other state. It is a highly individualized aspect of assisted living, and it’s important to be aware of (since, many times, families are researching care across state lines, and will need to know the variances in rules, and definitions).
How Oregon defines “Assisted Living Facility” or “ALF” is as follows:
The document covers many other important rules and regulations, and you can view the table of contents here:
These rules, obviously essential to any existing assisted living business in Oregon, so they may operate in accordance to the state’s standards of health and safety, and to avoid any penalties that may occur from an unfavorable inspection.
The rules are also important material for anyone wishing to open an assisted living home in Oregon, since, they outline the complexity of operating a care home, and the commitment needed to understand and execute on (on a daily basis) the operational, health and safety regulations put forth by the State of Oregon.
