Types of Facilities

Facility types at a glance

You can choose from many facility-based living options in Washington State. The following settings have different levels of support, services and amenities:

• Retirement Communities are non-licensed options and include the following:
  • Independent Living Communities
  • Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC)
• Adult family homes
• Assisted living and residential care facilities
• Memory Care
• Adult Residential Care
• Group Homes
• Residential Habilitation Services
• Nursing facilities

There are the many different types of homes or facilities where a person can live and get care services in a residential setting. Learn more...

The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging has created a CCRC Guidebook for Consumers that is available on the LeadingAge Washington website.

Residential programs and services that may be available to DDA clients

The Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) under the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) supports and provides a variety of residential options for individuals based on their interest, needs, preferences, and eligibility.

Get help finding the right facility

Washington’s CLC staff will answer questions and give you resources to locate facilities in your area to meet your care needs. Washington State also has some resource to help Placement agencies also offer services to help you find a facility. The agency will meet with you to assess your wants and needs. It will then recommend possible local matches. Placement agencies are not regulated and do not follow a set of established standards; however, under Washington State law, they must divulge whether or not they receive funding from any facilities or the corporate offices of any facilities.

Consider these things when working with a placement agency:

• Find out how it is paid for its services.
• Ask if the agency receives a finder’s fee from the facilities they refer consumers to or if consumers pay the agency a flat or hourly fee.
• Make sure the agency gives you a list of services before you contract with it on a fee basis.
• Ask if it represents all facilities in your area. If it doesn’t, ask how it decides which facilities to represent.
• Ask whether or not the agency goes with you for facility visits or gives you a list to visit on your own.