Assisted Living Facilities in South Carolina

A Caregiver's Guide to Assisted Living Facilities in South Carolina

What they're called

Official name: Community Residential Care Facilities

Common name: Assisted living facilities

To compare assisted living to board and care, skilled nursing, and other long-term residential care communities, see Residential Care Options: How to Decide.

What they offer

• Individual or shared (up to three persons) living units (from single rooms to multiroom apartments) with some cooking facilities
• All meals, usually in a common dining area
• General supervision
• Administration of or assistance with medications
• Personal care services, including help with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as eating, dressing, bathing, and getting around
• Social and exercise activities

Note: Some facilities also offer respite care and other special services.

What they cost

Median monthly fees: $3,070 (higher for residents requiring memory care)

State South Carolina requirements

• Facilities may not provide skilled nursing services -- and may not admit or retain a resident who requires regular nursing services.
• Residents may contract with licensed home health agencies to provide short-term, intermittent nursing care while recovering from an illness or injury.
• Bathroom facilities may be shared.

State of South Carolina oversight

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Division of Health Licensing (803-545-4370) oversees community residential care facilities.

How to resolve problems or offer feedback

• Contact the regional office nearest you of the South Carolina long-term care ombudsman program or call the program's central state office at 803-734-9900; this is a free service to help residents informally resolve problems with a facility. To register a complaint about a facility, you can contact the South Carolina's Division of Health Licensing or by phone at 803-545-4370.
• Rate and review assisted living facilities.

How to pay for assisted living in South Carolina

• Most assisted living is paid for privately by the resident and/or his or her family.
• For Medicaid-eligible low-income residents whose condition qualifies them for nursing home care, the state's home and community-based services waiver program pays part of the monthly fees for personal care services provided in participating facilities.
• Low-income veterans or surviving spouses of veterans may be eligible for Aid and Attendance or other payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which can help pay for assisted living.
• Some assisted living facilities offer sliding scale fees, making a higher level of care available to families that might not otherwise be able to afford it. Be sure to ask -- or ask a geriatric care manager in the area if he or she knows which facilities offer sliding scale fees.

Help finding and choosing a facility

• Hire a geriatric care manager (most have extensive local knowledge about assisted living facilities in a particular geographic area, including space availability, resident needs assessments, sliding scale fees, and resident satisfaction). To find a geriatric care manager, see Caring.com's Senior Living Directory.
• For details about assisted living facilities in each of the 50 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia, see A Caregiver's Guide to Assisted Living Facilities.