Board and Care, Personal Care Home, Adult Foster Care: Same Care, Different Names

If your parent lives in Oregon, Pennsylvania, Arizona or Minnesota and you are moving them closer to you in San Diego, you may have been told they need an “adult foster home,” a “personal care home,” an “assisted living home” or a “boarding care facility.” In California, you will not find any of those license names. You will find board and care homes, licensed as Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly.

The care is often the same. The names are not. This guide translates the terms other states use into California’s system, so families relocating a parent can search for the right kind of home, compare apples to apples, and avoid ending up in the wrong level of care.

What Is a Boarding Care Facility, and What Is It Called in California?

A boarding care facility is a small residential home that provides room, meals, supervision and help with daily activities to older adults. In California, this type of home is licensed as a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) and is usually called a board and care home. Most care for up to 6 residents in a regular house.

California names you will see for the same care:

• Board and care home or board and care facility
• Residential care facility for the elderly (RCFE), the formal license name
• Residential care home or senior care home
• Small assisted living or 6-bed assisted living
• Elder care home or home for elderly adults

All of these are licensed by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Community Care Licensing Division. Large assisted living communities hold the same RCFE license. Our senior care terms glossary defines dozens more terms.

Why Do States Use Different Names for Board and Care?

Each state writes its own licensing laws for residential senior care, so each picks its own vocabulary. Federal Medicare and Medicaid rules mostly cover nursing homes, not small residential homes, which leaves states free to name and regulate them differently. The result is the same basic care under a dozen different labels.

Why this matters when you relocate a parent:

• Searches miss the right homes. Searching “adult foster care San Diego” will turn up very few results, because California does not license senior homes under that name.
• Care levels differ. Some states allow small homes to provide more medical care than California does, and some allow less.
• Payment programs differ. Medicaid waivers, state supplements and private pay rules change at the state line.
• Paperwork restarts. California requires its own physician’s report, TB screening and pre-admission appraisal, regardless of what the old state required.

Board and Care Names in Western States

Western states have some of the most varied names for small residential care. If your parent is coming from a neighboring state, these are the terms you are most likely to hear. In each case, the California equivalent is usually a board and care home licensed as an RCFE.

• Oregon: “Adult foster homes” are small homes in a residential setting, typically caring for up to 5 residents. Oregon also licenses larger “residential care facilities” and “assisted living facilities.”
• Washington: “Adult family homes” are small residential homes, usually up to 6 residents. Larger settings are “assisted living facilities,” formerly called boarding homes.
• Arizona: “Assisted living homes” are small homes with 10 or fewer residents, while “assisted living centers” are larger. Many Arizona families simply call the small ones group homes.
• Nevada: “Residential facilities for groups,” often called group homes in everyday speech.
• Hawaii: “Adult residential care homes” and “community care foster family homes” serve small numbers of residents in private homes.
• Colorado: “Assisted living residences,” including small homes. Older documents call them personal care boarding homes.

Board and Care Names in the Midwest

Midwestern states often use “foster care” or “boarding care” language for small homes. The term “boarding care facility” itself is most closely tied to Minnesota, which has licensed “boarding care homes” for decades. If your parent lived in one of these states, here is how to translate.

• Minnesota: “Boarding care homes” and “adult foster care” homes, plus a newer “assisted living facility” license. A small Minnesota foster care home is closest to a California board and care.
• Michigan: “Adult foster care” homes, from small family homes up to larger group homes, plus “homes for the aged.”
• Illinois: “Shared housing establishments,” “assisted living establishments” and the Medicaid “supportive living” program.
• Ohio: “Residential care facilities” (assisted living) and “adult care facilities,” which include smaller adult family and group homes.
• Wisconsin: “Adult family homes” and “community-based residential facilities,” often called CBRFs.

Board and Care Names in the East and South

Eastern and Southern states commonly use “personal care home” or “adult home” for residential senior care. A “personal care home” in Pennsylvania or Georgia is usually the closest match to a California RCFE, though some are larger than a typical 6-bed board and care.

• Pennsylvania: “Personal care homes,” plus a separate “assisted living residence” license.
• Georgia: “Personal care homes,” with small family and group home sizes, and larger “assisted living communities.”
• New York: “Adult homes,” “enriched housing programs” and small “family-type homes for adults.”
• New Jersey: “Assisted living residences” and “comprehensive personal care homes.”
• Florida: “Assisted living facilities” and small “adult family-care homes.”
• Texas: “Assisted living facilities,” including small homes often called personal care homes.
• Massachusetts: “Rest homes” and assisted living residences. Massachusetts “adult foster care” is a program that pays caregivers in their own home, not a facility license.

State licensing names and categories change over time. Always confirm the current license with the state agency that oversees your parent’s current home.

What Is Adult Foster Care, and Does California Have It?

Adult foster care usually means care for one to a few older adults in a caregiver’s own home. California does not license senior homes under the name adult foster care. The closest California match is a 6-bed board and care home. California veterans can also look at the VA Medical Foster Home program.

How California handles similar care:

• Board and care homes: the main option for seniors who need personal care in a home setting. See our guide to board and care homes in San Diego.
• VA Medical Foster Homes: veterans can live in a VA-approved private home with a caregiver, coordinated through VA home-based primary care. See VA Medical Foster Homes in San Diego.
• Regional center family homes: for adults with developmental disabilities, not general senior care.

Is a group home or personal care home the same thing? Usually yes, in practice. A personal care home in Pennsylvania, an adult family home in Washington and a group home in Arizona all describe small, residential, non-medical senior care. In California, the same care is a board and care home. In California law, though, “group home” historically refers to children’s facilities, so it is not a senior license.

Our guide to group homes for elderly adults vs. board and care explains California’s terms in more detail, including Adult Residential Facilities and unlicensed homes.

How to Match a Boarding Care Facility Elsewhere to a California Home

Do not match by name. Match by the care your parent actually receives. Write down what help they get every day, what medical needs they have, and whether anyone is awake at night. Then use that list to find a California boarding care facility, board and care home or larger RCFE that provides the same level of care.

Information to gather from the current home before the move:

• Daily help: bathing, dressing, toileting, transfers, eating and walking. Our guide to activities of daily living explains how homes assess these.
• Medications: a current list, who gives them, and any injections such as insulin.
• Medical needs: oxygen, catheters, wounds, feeding issues or other conditions. California limits some of these in RCFEs; see restricted health conditions in California RCFEs.
• Memory and behavior: dementia stage, wandering, nighttime needs and any behaviors.
• Mobility: walker, wheelchair, one- or two-person transfers, or mechanical lift.
• Recent care notes and service plan: ask for copies to share with the new home.

California Paperwork When Moving a Parent From Another State

California requires its own admission paperwork for any RCFE, even if your parent has lived in a licensed home elsewhere for years. Plan for a recent physician’s report on California’s form, TB screening, a medication list, a pre-admission appraisal by the new home and a signed California admission agreement.

Steps that help an out-of-state move go smoothly:

• Physician’s report: California homes use the LIC 602A. Ask your parent’s current doctor to complete it, or plan a visit soon after arrival. See our guide to the LIC 602A physician’s report.
• TB screening: required before admission. See TB test requirements for assisted living in California.
• Insurance and doctors: Medicare transfers across states, but Medicare Advantage plans and Medicaid generally do not. Plan to change plans and find a new primary care doctor in San Diego.
• Benefits: Medicaid coverage from another state ends when your parent moves, and California Medi-Cal requires a new application. See our Medi-Cal eligibility guide.
• Medications: bring at least a two-week supply and a current list so the new home’s pharmacy can take over.

Questions to Ask the Current Home Before an Out-of-State Move

Before your parent leaves a boarding care facility, personal care home or adult foster home in another state, ask the current caregivers for the details that never make it into official paperwork. Small habits, triggers and routines help a new San Diego home get the first weeks right and can make the difference between a smooth and a rocky transition.

Useful questions for the current home:

• What does a typical day look like, from waking to bedtime?
• What helps when Mom is anxious, agitated or refusing care?
• What foods does she enjoy, and are there any swallowing issues?
• How does she sleep, and how often does she need help at night?
• Has she had falls, infections or hospital visits in the last six months?
• Can you send copies of the care plan, medication administration record and recent notes?

Plan the travel day carefully too. A long drive or flight can be exhausting and disorienting, so consider an overnight stop, bring medications in carry-on bags, and arrange for your parent to arrive at the new home early in the day. Our guide to moving a parent to a San Diego care home has more tips.

Costs: How California Board and Care Compares

Board and care homes in San Diego usually cost about $5,500 to $9,500 per month in 2026, and small dementia board and care homes run about $6,000 to $9,500. That is often higher than small homes in many other states, so budget carefully before the move.

Ways to plan:

• Compare your parent’s current all-in monthly cost with San Diego rates for the same care level.
• Consider a shared room to stretch savings.
• Check VA, long-term care insurance and Medi-Cal options before moving.
• Look at inland areas of San Diego County, which often cost less than coastal ones. See board and care costs by area.

How Elder Answers Helps

Elder Answers regularly helps families move a parent from another state into residential senior care in San Diego County. We translate your parent’s current care into California terms, find board and care homes with openings that match, and help you line up the paperwork so the move day goes smoothly. Our advisors personally visit the homes we recommend.

Our senior care placement service is free because homes pay us after move-in, and our fee does not change your rate. Contact Elder Answers to talk with a local advisor.

Frequently Asked Questions About Other Names for Board and Care

What is a boarding care facility called in California?

In California, a boarding care facility for seniors is licensed as a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) and is commonly called a board and care home. Most are single-family houses caring for up to 6 residents.

Does California have adult foster care for seniors?

Not under that name. California’s closest match is a small board and care home. Veterans may also qualify for VA Medical Foster Homes, where a VA-approved caregiver provides care in a private home.

Is a personal care home the same as a board and care home?

In practice, mostly yes. States such as Pennsylvania and Georgia use “personal care home” for residential, non-medical senior care that California provides in board and care homes and other RCFEs. Size and allowed medical care can differ by state.

What is an adult family home in California terms?

Washington and Wisconsin use “adult family home” for small residential care homes. In California, the equivalent for seniors is a board and care home licensed as an RCFE.

Will my parent’s care plan from another state transfer to California?

The information transfers, but the paperwork does not. California homes need their own physician’s report, TB screening, pre-admission appraisal and admission agreement. Bring the old care plan and medication list to help the new home get it right.

Will Medicaid from another state pay for a California board and care?

Generally no. Medicaid is run by each state, so coverage ends when your parent moves. Your parent would need to apply for California Medi-Cal, and Medi-Cal pays for board and care only through limited programs such as the Assisted Living Waiver.

How do I search for the right kind of home in San Diego?

Search for “board and care” or “residential care facility for the elderly” rather than your old state’s term. You can also use the CDSS Care Facility Search, or work with a local placement agency that knows which homes match your parent’s care level.

Are board and care homes more expensive in San Diego than in other states?

Often, yes. San Diego board and care homes usually cost about $5,500 to $9,500 per month in 2026. Compare your parent’s current costs with local rates and consider room type and location to manage the budget.