Assisted living

• personal care (bathing, grooming, medication management)
• meals
• laundry service for linens and towels. Personal laundry is available and may have an additional cost, but varies by site.
• light housekeeping
• social and recreational activities

Services not provided:

• breakfast (some sites provide continental breakfast at no additional charge)
• PharmaCare premiums, deductibles and any medications not covered under Fair PharmaCare
• tenant or household insurance
• hydro surcharge
• hairdressing
• dry cleaning
• personal items such as toiletries, incontinence supplies
• telephone service
• cable services
• internet service
• personal laundry

You may be eligible if you:

• Are currently a Home Health client but are finding that these services are no longer meeting your care needs.
• Meet the general eligibility requirements for Home Health services.
• Are able to communicate and be understood by others.
• Do not behave in ways that put the safety of others at risk.
• Are able to take direction in an emergency.
• Are able to use an emergency response system.
• If you are a couple who wish to move into an assisted living residence, only one member needs to meet the eligibility requirements for both to move in together.

Assisted living is not an option for those who:

• Can't make their own decisions about day-to-day activities (unless they are living with a spouse who can make decisions on their behalf).
• Have care needs exceeding what can be provided in an assisted living building.

Contact the Home Health Service Line at 1-855-412-2121 (7 days a week, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) to request an assessment.

• A community health nurse will come to your home and complete an assessment to determine your care needs.
• The community health nurse will work with you to develop a plan of care to support you to continue to live in your own home. This may include arranging for someone to assist you with personal care activities (toileting, bathing) and/or help with managing food preparation/consumption.
• Your success with that level of support will be assessed in two to three months. If it is determined that you require hospitality services such as meals, housekeeping, recreation programs and socialization to continue to live independently, assisted living may be the right place for you.

If you are a current Home Health client, speak with your community health nurse.

Please do not contact the assisted living providers directly.

The community health nurse will assess your current living situation in light of medical conditions, ability to make decisions, level of mobility and ability to carry out the activities of daily living, current medications and level of family/caregiver support. Because the funded services in the health authority are based on your income, you will be required to provide your income tax assessment.

• Residents pay 70 per cent of their after-tax income (up to a maximum rate) which covers rent, hospitality services and personal care.
• Couples pay 70 per cent of their combined after-tax income.
• Residents receiving provincial disability benefits pay a pre-determined, set rate.

We provide publicly subsidized assisted living services for those who are no longer able to live independently at home but do not require 24-hour nursing care. Eligibility is determined by an assessment from a home health community health nurse. Eligibility can vary between sites and may not necessarily follow the same criteria as funded beds.

Private-pay residences are operated by private organizations and charge market rate for accommodation and services. Fraser Health does not fund or subsidize these services. Funding from the Fraser Health assisted living program is not transferable to private pay assisted living communities.

Under BC Housing's Independent Living British Columbia (ILBC) program, assets are not factored into the calculations unless they produce income reported on your tax return. Individuals receiving pensions through the Ministry of Housing and Social Development (MHSD) pay a pre-determined rate.

More detailed information is available once you have been deemed eligible and accepted into care by a community health nurse.

If you are currently a resident in a private pay assisted living residence and wish to move to a funded site, please contact your community health nurse.

If you are currently in a funded assisted living residence and wish to transfer to long-term care, please connect with your assisted living community health nurse.

If you are not a current Home Health client, you must first meet eligibility requirements for Home Health services. Call the Home Health Service Line at 1-855-412-2121 (7 days a week, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) to be assessed for eligibility.

If you have concerns about the care in a private assisted living facility, call the Assisted Living Registry. 

If you have concerns about the care in publicly subsidized assisted living facility, please contact your community health nurse and/or the Patient Care Quality Office. 

If the matter is not resolved to your satisfaction after contacting these resources, you may also call the Assisted Living Registry with your concern.

Assisted Living Registry
Phone: 778-974-4887
Toll-free: 1-866-714-3378
Email: hlth.assistedlivingregistry@gov.bc.ca

When both members of a couple need long-term care or assisted living, we seek to reunite them at the same facility (either long-term care or assisted living) whenever possible. 

Some of the things we look at when reuniting a couple include:

• Care needs: Couples may not need the same level of care at the same time. We work to find a campus of care that can accommodate both of their needs in the geographic community of their choice. At present 15 funded assisted living facilities in Fraser Health are on the same campus as one of the 80 long-term care sites.
• Geographic location: A family’s preference for a particular community or residence may limit options for placement. Expanding the geographic area of potential care homes can reduce how long they may wait.
• Change to care need: Unexpected changes in health can lead to a need for long-term care. Once our care team has assessed an individual, we work with them and their family to access resources that meet their needs across the region.
• Wait times: Placement at a home will depend on when a bed becomes available. Fraser Health is committed to keeping couples together and will work closely with families to ensure that it happens as quickly and safely as it is possible.