Glossary
Assisted living
Assisted living is a licensed residential setting where older adults live in their own apartment or room and receive help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, meals and medications, without the medical supervision of a nursing home.
Residents keep as much independence as they can, with staff available around the clock. Meals, housekeeping, laundry, activities and transportation are usually included, and personal care is priced by level.
In California, assisted living is licensed as a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) by the Department of Social Services, whether the community has six beds or three hundred.
Related terms
RCFE
RCFE stands for Residential Care Facility for the Elderly, the California license category that covers assisted living, memory care and board and care homes for residents aged 60 and over.
Level of care
Level of care is a community’s rating of how much personal assistance a resident needs, used to set the monthly care fee on top of base rent.
Memory care
Memory care is assisted living designed for people living with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, in a secured setting with dementia-trained staff and a structured daily routine.
Residential care home
A residential care home, or board and care home, is a small assisted living setting licensed for six or fewer residents, usually in a converted single-family house with live-in or shift caregivers.
Definitions reviewed September 5, 2026. Rules vary by state and change over time; confirm specifics with the community and the licensing agency.