WiNNEBaGO COUNTy SENiOR RESOURCE ... - City of Oshkosh

36 { HOUSING INFORMATION } WINNEBAGO COUNTY SENIOR RESOURCE GUIDE 2009
Housing Information
One of the most difficult decisions a
person may have to make is to move
from his or her home to a new living
environment. Some fully embrace
moving to a new situation where they no longer
have to worry about making and paying for
home repairs, mowing the lawn, shoveling snow
and going up and down stairs. For others, the
thought of change is difficult and frightening
and gets put off.
Changes may eventually need to be made
with the involvement of family or a community
agency.
This information is made available so that
people contemplating change can learn more
about what alternatives are available. There
may be more alternatives available; those listed
provided information for this directory. Some
of the facilities listed in this directory have
waiting lists. It is very important that you make
arrangements to get on a facility’s waiting list if
you desire to live there.
Remember, when looking for housing, find
information on the facilities you are interested
in. Make a list of questions that pertain to your
needs. Visit the facility, and ask your questions
so that you have all of the information you need
to know if this is a good choice for you.
The first part of the Directory gives definitions
of the different types of housing.
What is a Residential
Care Apartment
Complex?
Residential Care Apartment Complexes
(RCACs) are a form of housing
available to seniors in Wisconsin
designed to provide another choice
for long-term care. All facilities are
required to provide apartments with
a kitchen, living area, bedroom and
bathroom. In addition, RCACs must
be equipped to provide up to 28
hours per week of services designed
to meet individual tenants’ needs.
These types of services may
include (but are not limited to) help
with bathing, dressing and grooming,
nursing services such as medication
set-up and monitoring, and help
with laundry and housekeeping.
This provision allows consumers
to purchase the service they want,
with the flexibility to increase services
as their care needs increase in
the future.
How do RCACs differ
from Nursing Homes and
Assisted Living?
States are responsible for regulating
long-term care facilities. While
the commonly accepted or generic
term for facilities other than nursing
homes is “assisted living,” different
states have chosen a variety of
names. In Wisconsin there are really
three different kinds of assisted living
facilities.
These are (1) RCACs; (2) Community
Based Residential Facilities
(CBRFs); and (3) Adult Family
Homes. Different regulations apply
to each.
A CBRF is generally a facility
where individuals have either a
separate or shared bedroom, but
definitely share common living
spaces such as the living room,
dining room and kitchen. They may
share bathrooms as well.
CBRFs are very well-regulated and
monitored by the State of Wisconsin.
For example, CBRFs are required
to do background checks on their
employees before hiring them.
Their staff must undergo certain
types of training for specific numbers
of hours on topics such as first
aid, fire safety, medication administration,
caring for the elderly and
other areas.
The state inspects all CBRFs when
they first apply for a license and then
at least once every subsequent year.
The state also sends out someone to
investigate if anyone files a complaint
about care or services in the
CBRF.