Assisted living facilities offer people various levels of personal and medical care services. These are usually designed for older adults while prioritizing their independence. These facilities provide skilled help to the residents or even nursing facilities for senior citizens or people with disabilities. 

Whether you are looking to open an assisted living facility or are looking to work in one, you will have to get your due diligence done. This includes submitting your fingerprints for a comprehensive state and national criminal record check. FEFPS is an FDLE-approved center that provides seamless and convenient fingerprinting services to AHCA providers.

What is an assisted living facility?

Assisted living is an AHCA-licensed facility designed for citizens requiring different levels of personal or medical care. These facilities offer citizens personalized and professional care in a residential setting. As soon as the residents are enrolled, their health condition is analyzed by a health expert, and an individualized service plan is created to serve them better.

Unlike nursing homes, an assisted living facility provides 24-hour care to the residents while making them feel at home. Every resident has their personal space. Professional and trained staff is available 24/7 to help with support, care, and safety.

How to open an assisted living facility?

An assisted living facility is less costly than a restrictive institutionalized setting. These facilities can range from a single resident to hundreds of them. If you want to give back to your community, there is nothing better than opening up an assisted living facility and taking care of the citizens.

Before you open your assisted living facility, you need to analyze what level of care you want to provide at your facility. 

• Choosing the level of care, you’ll provide at your facility

When you open an assisted living facility for senior residents, you need to analyze the level of care you are willing to provide. Depending upon the care you offer, you will have to register for the appropriate licenses and hire professional staff. 

Supporting semi-independent residents

An assisted living facility is usually chosen by senior citizens who need a little help carrying out their daily tasks but do not require round-the-cloud medical care. When providing care to semi-independent residents, you must offer them 24-hour supervision and security. 

You will also need staff to prepare and serve all their meals, give them their prescribed medications, and offer personal care assistance while bathing or going to the toilet. You can also arrange social and recreational activities to keep your residents occupied and happy. 

• Setting up your business and facility

Before serving the community, you will need to register your business, get the equipment for your facility, and all the necessary licenses. This would require in-depth research into the local regulations in your state.

Researching the competition and regulations in your state

Before you start an assisted living facility, you need to do in-depth market research about the competition and laws in your area. While you do want to serve senior citizens, you also need to make a profit to sustain your business. 

You can search the internet for the number of facilities in your area and whether they are fully occupied. This would help you understand the need for the facility in your area. It is also advised to do a cost analysis of the assisted living facilities. This would help you understand the level of care for seniors. 

Along with all this, it is always a good idea to read through the local regulations in your state. 

Estimating the initial operating costs and making a complete business plan

You can use your research on the local market and exist assisted living facilities to examine your initial operational costs. You will have to spend a big chunk of your money establishing a center. You can calculate your total estimate by breaking the price down into the following steps:

• Calculating the down payment for purchasing the land or an existing facility
• If you are buying land, you need to analyze your facility’s total building cost and time. If you are taking over an existing facility, you need to calculate the price for improvements to furnishing and equipment. 
• It calculates the working capital for 60 days. This would include food, salaries, taxes, medical and home supplies, and insurance. 

Once you have an estimate of what the facility will cost, you need to clear your finances. You can either invest your savings or take a loan. You must provide a complete business plan for your setup to get a loan. A business plan should be 10 to 30 pages long and include essential information like:

• Company description
• Market analysis
• Organization and management
• Services offered
• Marketing strategy
• Funding request
• Financial predictions

You can use your business plan to secure investors’ funding or a bank loan.

Registering a Business Entity

Before starting your assisted living facility, you must register your company as a legally licensed business. You can register your facility as a Limited Liability Corporation. If your company goes bankrupt, you will not be responsible for your finances. 

You must fill out a form and file it to the state’s office. The requirements for an LLC can vary. Hence, you can consult an attorney in your area to get the process done faster. 

Buy, Build, or Renovate an Assisted Living Facility that meets all the requirements.

When looking to open an assisted living facility, you can buy land and build one from the ground up. However, this would be too costly and time taking. You can also buy an existing assisted living facility and make some renovations. If there are no facilities available to buy in your area, you can buy a large home or a closed school area and renovate it.

Regardless of the type of building you choose, you need to make sure that it meets all the legal criteria. It should have enough guest rooms, washrooms, and space for cooking and recreational activities. 

Before you buy a property, it is always a good idea to check the legal requirements in your state for an assisted living facility. You should buy an affordable property that does not need much renovation. 

• Applying for licenses and Hiring employees

Once your facility is ready, you need to apply for the required license from your state. You can only admit residents once your facility is licensed. Along with this, you also need to hire professional employees to take care of the day-to-day operations in your facility. 

Applying for the required license to operate your facility

You must apply for an operator’s license while opening an assisted living facility. Some states may require you to obtain some additional permits as well. If you are offering specialized care in your facility, you will have to get access to multiple licenses through the AHCA. 

These licenses would require you to complete a criminal background search to ensure eligibility. This means that you have to submit your fingerprints to an FDA-approved center. These centers would forward your state and national criminal record to the licensing agency. FEFPS is an FDA-approved livescan fingerprinting center where you can submit your prints to get a background report. We have centers in multiple locations.

Becoming a Certified Facility Administrator

A few states require a certified facility administrator to run the assisted living facility. You can either take the course and get certified or hire one. An administrator is a legal requirement in a few states like California. 

If you are considering getting certified, you need to take up an 80-hour course and pass the licensing exam with at least 70%. Most people hire an administrator at first and then get a license for themselves later on. 

Hiring Staff for an Assisted Living Facility

You need to hire service providers to offer professional and medical help to people who enroll in your facility. It’d be best if you employed staff committed to the community, professionally trained, and have a clean record. 

You should start your research for a team while setting up the facility. Finding professional and trained staff is a time-consuming process. The staffing needs for your facility would vary depending on the size and services offered. 

All of the employees that you hire should have a clean background. You will have to submit your fingerprints for a Level 2 background check. This includes a comprehensive criminal record check at the state and national levels. Your employees must submit their fingerprints to an FDLE-approved center to do this. 

Our veteran-run service provides high-quality fingerprinting at an affordable price. We submit all fingerprints to FDLE on the same day. Regardless, it may take up to 3 days for the report to be generated. 

Types of Speciality Licenses

The license requirements of an assisted living facility depend upon the services you plan to offer. You can apply for three other types of speciality licenses along with a general business license. 

• Extended Congregate Care

If you want to provide additional nursing services and assistance with personal care services, you should get an extended congregate care license for your facility. You can apply for this license while filing at the time of submitting your initial application. With this license, you have to provide your residents with real help with activities with daily living, frequent nursing assessments, and medication assistance. 

• Limited Nursing Services

If you want to provide nursing services beyond your standard licensure, you can apply for a limited nursing service license at the AHCA. With this license, you have to offer your residents conducting passive range of motion exercises, wound care, catheter assistance, and all the other services provided by nurses. 

• Limited Mental Health

If you want to serve patients with mental health issues, you can apply for a limited mental health license for your assisted living facility. These residents receive social security disability income due to mental health issues or disorders. Once you have received your license, the facility administrator and all the other staff must complete specific training for the residents.

Irrespective of the type of license you are applying for, you will have to complete due diligence by submitting your fingerprints to the FDLA. A clear national and state background criminal record is necessary to get your license approved. 

FEFPS is an FDLE-approved live scan fingerprinting center where you can get your fingerprinting done efficiently. We have a team of experienced professionals who offer high-quality services. Your fingerprints are submitted to the FDLE the same day, and the reports are generated within 3 business days. 

Takeaway

The demand for a good assisted living facility is always on the rise. With more and more people entering the vulnerable age group in the United States, they need facilities to take care of their day-to-day activities. Opening an assisted living facility is a good option if you want to serve the community while making some profit. However, you should look at your state’s different regulations and license requirements. 

Since you’ll be serving the country’s vulnerable population, you would need a clean criminal record to get your license approved by the AHCA. You’ll need to submit your fingerprints to an FDA-approved center like FEFPS. We have multiple locations and offer high-quality fingerprinting services. The fingerprints are forwarded the same day, and the reports are generated within 3 business days. 

Submitting your prints at a reputable center would help quicken your licensing procedure.