Frequently Asked Questions

A board and care home is a small, licensed senior care home in an ordinary residential neighborhood, usually a single-family house caring for just a handful of residents. In California these homes are formally called Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly, or RCFEs, and they provide help with daily living, meals, and supervision in a setting that feels like a real home rather than a large institution. All ten of our North County homes are licensed board and care homes with six residents each.

Both are licensed in California as Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly, but a large assisted living community may house a hundred or more residents in apartment-style living, while a board and care home cares for just six people in an actual house. The smaller setting usually means a higher caregiver ratio, more personal attention, and a quieter, more familiar pace, which is why many families choose board and care for a loved one who would feel lost in a big community.

A nursing home, or skilled nursing facility, provides around-the-clock medical and nursing care for people with serious medical needs. A board and care home provides non-medical care, meaning help with everyday things like bathing, dressing, meals, mobility, and medication, for seniors who do not need full-time nursing. Our homes coordinate closely with visiting physicians, nurses, home health, and hospice whenever medical care is needed.

RCFE stands for Residential Care Facility for the Elderly. It is the license category California uses for board and care homes and assisted living, overseen by the Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division. Every one of our homes is independently licensed as an RCFE, and all of our license numbers are listed on our Locations page.

Yes. We provide memory care for seniors living with dementia and Alzheimer's. A small, calm home with a steady routine and a caregiver for every three residents often suits someone with memory loss far better than a large, busy community, and our caregivers are experienced in the gentle, watchful care that dementia requires. Reach out and we can talk through whether one of our homes fits your loved one's stage of memory care.

Yes. We welcome hospice and end-of-life care, working hand in hand with your chosen hospice provider so your loved one can stay in their home, comfortable and surrounded by familiar faces, rather than having to move during their final season.

Assisted living and board and care in San Diego County generally run somewhere between about $6,000 and $7,500+ a month depending on the level of care, with memory care tending toward the higher end. Board and care homes are usually billed as one all-inclusive monthly rate covering the room, meals, care, and daily support, which many families find simpler and often more affordable than the add-on pricing of large communities. Call or text us at (760) 707-9192 for current rates and openings.

Medicare and most private health insurance do not pay for long-term residential care in a board and care home or assisted living. Medi-Cal generally covers long-term care only in a skilled nursing facility, with one main exception, the state's Assisted Living Waiver program. Most families pay privately, and many use long-term care insurance or Veterans Aid and Attendance benefits to help. We are glad to walk you through the options, and we always suggest confirming the specifics with the program or a professional advisor.

We are a family that owns and operates ten small care homes across North County San Diego. Our homes are located in Carlsbad, Vista, and Oceanside, and we regularly help families from nearby communities like Encinitas, La Costa, and San Marcos find the right home close to where they already are. You can see every home and its license number on our Locations page.

Each of our homes is limited to six residents, with a caregiver for every three residents and staff on site around the clock. That small size is the whole point. It is what lets our caregivers learn each person by name and notice the small changes that matter.

Every home offers assisted living, memory care, and hospice support under one roof, so a loved one rarely has to move as their needs change. Day to day, that means help with bathing, dressing, grooming, mobility, and medication management, three home-cooked meals plus snacks, laundry and housekeeping, music, art, and activities, and visiting physicians, nurses, and therapists who come to the home.

The best advice we can give is to visit in person. Photos only show so much, and the moment you walk into a home you can feel whether it is warm, clean, and well run. Notice how the caregivers speak with the residents, ask about the caregiver ratio and how long the staff have been there, and trust your gut. We are always happy to show you around with no pressure.

Because we run ten homes instead of one, we can almost always find an opening somewhere in North County when a family needs it, sometimes within the same week, rather than putting you on a long waiting list. If a hospital or rehab is discharging your loved one soon, call us and we will move quickly.