Find Personal Care Homes Near You

Georgia and Pennsylvania are the two states most associated with the term personal care home. Both license residential facilities under this name, and both distinguish personal care homes from nursing homes: a personal care home provides help with daily living, not skilled medical care. The "personal care" in the name refers to hands-on assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, mobility, and medication reminders. It's the bridge between living independently and needing a nursing home.

A personal care home is typically the right fit when an older adult can no longer safely live alone but doesn't have complex medical needs that require 24/7 nursing oversight. A resident might need help getting out of the bathtub, reminders to take blood pressure medication, and supervision around meal times and wandering risk. None of this requires a nurse, but all of it requires a caregiver who is present, trained, and paying attention.

In both Georgia and Pennsylvania, personal care homes range from very small (two to four beds, operating out of a single-family house) to very large (hundreds of beds, resembling traditional assisted living communities). AgeSong focuses on the smaller end of that spectrum, where residents aren't room numbers and caregivers know everyone's life story. Small personal care homes tend to be clustered in residential neighborhoods, often family-owned, and they rarely advertise beyond word of mouth, which is exactly why a directory like this one exists.

Payment is worth understanding before you start visiting. Private pay is the most common funding source, but Pennsylvania operates a state-funded supplement called SSI-P for low-income residents in licensed personal care homes. Georgia's Medicaid program has limited waivers that can cover care services but generally not room and board. Long-term care insurance and VA Aid and Attendance benefits can help as well. Always ask each home directly what forms of payment they accept.