Glossary
Care assessment
Also called: Pre-admission appraisal
A care assessment is the evaluation a community performs before move-in, and periodically afterward, to determine what help a resident needs and whether the community can safely provide it.
In California an RCFE must complete a pre-admission appraisal and obtain a physician’s report before admission. The assessment sets the initial level of care and its fee.
Related terms
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.
Activities of daily living (ADLs)
Activities of daily living are the basic self-care tasks, usually listed as bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring (getting in and out of a bed or chair), continence and eating.
Definitions reviewed September 5, 2026. Rules vary by state and change over time; confirm specifics with the community and the licensing agency.