Tulsa Senior AdvisorWhat is a residential care home in Oklahoma?
A residential care home is a facility licensed by OSDH under the Residential Care Act and OAC 310:680 to provide room, meals and supportive assistance to residents who are ambulatory, essentially able to manage their own affairs and do not routinely need nursing care.
The key difference from assisted living is medical care: residential care homes may not provide it, while assisted living centers are licensed to deliver intermittent nursing and medication administration. OSDH lists 5 open residential care homes in the six counties, with 97 licensed beds between them, in Claremore, Tulsa, Wagoner.
Who is a good fit for an Oklahoma residential care home?
A residential care home fits an adult who can walk and manage most of their own affairs but needs meals, supervision, housekeeping and some personal help, and who does not need ongoing nursing.
In practice, several residential care homes in the Tulsa area serve adults with mental illness or developmental disabilities as well as older adults, so ask each home who its residents are and whether the setting suits your parent.
What happens if a residential care home resident needs nursing care?
Because the license does not allow medical care, a resident whose needs grow beyond supportive assistance usually has to move to an assisted living center or a nursing home, or receive services from an outside licensed provider where the rules allow.
Ask any home how it handles a hospital discharge, new medications and a resident who can no longer walk independently, before you sign.
How do I check a residential care home's record?
Search the home on the OSDH survey site, surveys.health.ok.gov, the same way as an assisted living center; its public file lists survey documents, license documents and any orders.
Our assisted living roster lists every open residential care home in the six counties with licensed beds, the newest survey date and the count of survey documents in the last three years.
Are residential care homes the same as group homes?
Not exactly; Oklahoma licenses residential care homes through OSDH under the Residential Care Act, while some group homes for people with developmental disabilities are licensed or certified through other programs, so check which license a particular home holds.
The license ID on the OSDH roster begins with RC for residential care homes.
At a glance
| A residential care home is | A residential care home is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Care | Room, meals and supportive assistance | Licensed to provide medical care |
| Residents | Ambulatory adults who manage most affairs | People who routinely need nursing |
| License | OSDH, Residential Care Act, OAC 310:680 | An assisted living license |
Sources include the Oklahoma Administrative Code (chapters 310:663, 310:680, 310:673, 310:675 and 310:605), OSDH, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Oklahoma Human Services, the Oklahoma Attorney General, CareScout, CMS and the VA, as cited above; see our editorial standards.
