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 availibility, health promotion and exercise programs, medication management, personal laundry services, social and recreational activities, emergency call systems, supervision, and transportation.

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.

Professional Resources

Flu & Respiratory Disease

Healthcare-Acquired Infections

Incident Reporting

Accidents, incidents, and medication errors resulting in out-of-residence emergency medical services of any resident shall be reported to the Center for Facilities Regulation in writing by the end of the next working day. Form Keep a copy of the report at the residence for review during subsequent inspections by the Department. Each report submission should only contain one (1) reportable incident. Attaching multiple incidents to the same fax or email submission will complicate the appropriate processing of an Assisted Living Residence’s reportable incident.

You must maintain evidence that all reportable incidents have been thoroughly investigated and that actions have been taken to prevent further incidents while the investication is in progress. Appropriate corrective action shall be taken, as necessary. The results of the investigation must be reported to us within 5 business days. 5 Day Incident Form

Report to: FAX: 301-222-5901, or, only if you have appropriate safeguards to protect patient information (encryption) email doh.ofr@health.ri.gov.

Infectious Diseases

Norovirus

MRSA (Staphyloccal Infection)

Tuberculosis

Board Information