Find Group Homes for the Elderly

The phrase group home carries different meanings depending on the population it serves. Group homes for children, adolescents, adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities, and people in recovery all exist, and each has its own licensing framework, staff training, and regulations. Group homes for the elderly are a specific and distinct category: licensed residential settings where older adults, typically age 65 and up, live together in a small, home-like environment and receive help with activities of daily living.

There is no single national license called "group home for the elderly." Instead, every state has its own term. California calls them Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly. Washington uses adult family home. Georgia and Pennsylvania use personal care home. Oregon has adult foster homes. North Carolina has family care homes. The phrase "group home for elderly" is simply how many families describe what they are actually looking for: a real house, a handful of residents, and a family feel rather than an institution.

The elderly-specific distinction matters for three reasons. First, the regulations are different. Group homes for people with developmental disabilities, for example, operate under a different licensing framework, have different staffing requirements, and answer to different state agencies. Second, the resident profile is different. An elder group home is built around mobility aids, medication management, memory care accommodations, and the practicalities of aging. Third, the care team is trained specifically in geriatric care rather than pediatric, psychiatric, or behavioral health.

When you search for a group home for an aging parent, what you're really looking for is a small licensed senior care home with round-the-clock staff, a shared dining table, and caregivers who will know your parent as a person rather than a room number. Use our state directory to find the term your state uses, browse the homes that match your location and budget, and verify each home's license status against the official state database linked from every listing.