Knoxville Senior AdvisorWhat is a home for the aged near Knoxville?
A home for the aged is a Tennessee-licensed residence that gives room, board and personal services to four or more unrelated older adults who can walk on their own, and transfers residents when health care is needed.
The Health Facilities Commission currently licenses 5 homes for the aged in the seven counties around Knoxville, with 270 beds in all: The Lodge at Shannondale in Knoxville (148 beds); River Oaks Place Building II in Lenoir City (49 beds); Heritage Assisted Living in Knoxville (28 beds); South Knoxville Senior Living Buildings 1 & 2 in Knoxville (24 beds); Patriot Assisted Living in Oak Ridge (21 beds).
Who fits a home for the aged?
Someone mostly independent who should not live alone: meals, housekeeping, reminders and a household that notices changes, without daily medication administration or nursing visits.
If a parent needs medications given, help with bathing every day, or memory care, an ACLF is the better fit.
How do homes for the aged differ from assisted living?
They cannot provide the health-related services an ACLF can, such as medication administration, arranging in-building nursing or a secured unit, so residents move when health needs rise.
They are licensed under rule 0720-21 rather than the ACLF chapter, and they are inspected by the same Health Facilities Commission.
How do we check a home for the aged's record?
Look it up in the HFC Health Care Facilities listing or on our assisted living roster, which shows license number, beds, last survey date and status for every licensed home for the aged in the seven counties.
Ask how the home handled the last resident who needed more care, and how quickly that resident had to move.
What questions should we ask a home for the aged?
Ask how many residents live there, who is on duty overnight, how medications are handled, how meals are planned for special diets, and how the home decides that a resident needs to move to an ACLF or nursing home.
Visit at a mealtime; in a small home, the tone of the dining table tells you a great deal about daily life.
Where are licensed homes for the aged providers around Knoxville?
The state's records show 5 licensed homes for the aged providers across the seven counties, 3 in Knox County, 1 in Loudon County, 1 in Roane County.
| County | Licensed providers | Licensed beds |
|---|---|---|
| Knox County | 3 | 200 |
| Blount County | 0 | 0 |
| Anderson County | 0 | 0 |
| Loudon County | 1 | 49 |
| Sevier County | 0 | 0 |
| Roane County | 1 | 21 |
| Union County | 0 | 0 |
Side by side
| A home for the aged provides | A home for the aged does not provide | |
|---|---|---|
| Living | Room, board and personal services | Medication administration like an ACLF |
| Residents | Ambulatory older adults | Care once health services are needed |
| Setting | A smaller household | A secured memory care unit |
Sources: Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. chapters 0720-26, 0720-21 and 0720-18; Health Facilities Commission, TennCare and Department of Disability and Aging pages; CareScout and VA rate tables, as cited above. See our editorial standards.
