Knoxville Senior AdvisorWhat is a home for the aged in Tennessee?
A home for the aged is a residence held out to the public as accepting primarily aged persons, 51% or more, for relatively permanent domiciliary care, giving room, board and personal services to four or more unrelated people (0720-21-.01(27)).
The license is often written as RHA, for residential home for the aged. The Health Facilities Commission licenses and inspects these homes under their own rule chapter, 0720-21, separate from the assisted-care living facility chapter. 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 can live in a Tennessee home for the aged?
Residents must be ambulatory, and the home transfers a resident to a hospital, nursing home or assisted-care living facility when health care services are needed (0720-21-.01(28)).
That transfer standard is the core difference. A home for the aged suits someone who is mostly independent but should not live alone: an older adult who needs reminders, meals and a watchful household but not medication administration or nursing visits. Ask any home what happens when a resident's needs change, and how quickly it expects a move.
How does a home for the aged differ from assisted living in Knoxville?
An ACLF may administer medications and bring in nursing, therapy and hospice services, while a home for the aged provides room, board and personal help and moves residents out when health care is needed; both are licensed by the Health Facilities Commission.
Size differs too. Tennessee's homes for the aged range from small houses to larger buildings, while the area's ACLFs run from about 16 to 125 beds. Some campuses in Knox and Loudon counties hold both licenses at related addresses, which lets a resident move between them as needs change. Compare the two side by side in ACLF or home for the aged.
What does a Tennessee home for the aged license cost?
The annual fee runs from $390 for fewer than six beds to $1,040 for six to 24 beds, and larger homes pay on the same bed-based scale as ACLFs (0720-21).
The fee matters to families only as a clue: like ACLFs, homes for the aged pay by licensed bed and may not exceed their licensed capacity. The bed count shown on the HFC listing is therefore a reliable size figure for the homes on our roster.
How do I check a home for the aged near Knoxville?
Look it up in the Health Facilities Commission's Health Care Facilities listing by name or county; the record shows license number, status, licensed beds, last survey date, expiration and any disciplinary actions.
Every licensed home for the aged in the seven counties appears as a row on our assisted living roster, with the same fields. Because homes for the aged do not give medications in the way ACLFs do, ask who helps a resident with pills, and whether a home health agency visits.
Side by side
| A home for the aged does | A home for the aged does not | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily help | Provide room, board and personal services | Administer medications as an ACLF may |
| Residents | Serve ambulatory older adults | Keep residents once health care is needed |
| Oversight | Hold an HFC license under rule 0720-21 | Fall under the ACLF rule chapter |
| Size | Range from small houses to larger residences | Have to be large or institutional |
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.
