How many staff a Florida assisted living facility must have

What are the minimum staffing requirements for assisted living in Florida?

Rule 59A-36.010, Florida Administrative Code, sets minimum direct-care staff hours per week by the combined number of residents, day care participants and respite residents, from 168 hours for up to five residents to 539 hours for 86 to 95, plus 42 hours for every additional 20.

Source: Fla. Admin. Code r. 59A-36.010(3)(a).

Only on-the-job staff count: vacant positions, absent staff and people who only do maintenance, clerical work or cooking do not. An administrator's hours count if he or she is actively involved in daily care and is on the schedule.

Does a Florida ALF need a staff member awake all night?

Facilities with 17 or more residents must have at least one staff member awake at all hours of the day and night, and every facility must have at least one staff member with current first aid and CPR training in the building at all times.

Smaller homes can meet the overnight standard with staff on the premises but asleep, which is common in six-bed residential ALFs. For a resident who wanders or gets up often at night, that difference matters more than any brochure.

What does 539 staff hours a week actually mean for a 90-resident Florida ALF?

Spread across the 168 hours in a week, 539 staff hours works out to an average of about 3.2 people on duty at any moment for up to 95 residents, which is why the rule also says facilities must add staff whenever residents' scheduled and unscheduled needs are not being met.

AHCA can order an immediate staffing increase above the minimum if it finds supervision or care inadequate (59A-36.010(3)(d)). Ask for the daily work schedule: facilities must make direct-care schedules available to residents or their representatives on request.

Who can run an assisted living facility in Florida?

An ALF administrator must be at least 21, have a high school diploma or GED if hired after October 30, 1995, pass Level 2 background screening, and complete AHCA's core training and competency test within 90 days of starting, followed by continuing education.

One administrator may supervise up to three ALFs, or a group on one campus, but must appoint a manager for each, with a reduced requirement for three small (16 beds or fewer) facilities within 15 miles. Owners must notify AHCA within 10 days when the administrator changes.

What training must Florida ALF caregivers complete?

Direct-care staff complete training under rule 59A-36.011, and facilities that advertise special Alzheimer's care, or will hold the new memory care license, must also train staff under s. 430.5025, Florida Statutes; ECC and LMH facilities add their own specialized training.

New staff must also submit a health statement showing no signs of communicable disease within 30 days of hire. Ask a facility how many of its current caregivers finished dementia training, not just whether it offers the course.