Personal Care Home vs. Assisted Living in Georgia: What's the Difference?
If you're looking for care for a parent or relative in Georgia, you'll run into two terms that sound almost identical: personal care home and assisted living. They are regulated by the same state program, but they are not the same thing, and the difference affects what care your loved one can receive, what it costs, and how long they can stay.
This guide explains the difference in plain language, using Georgia's own rules, and ends with a checklist you can take on your tours.
The short answer
In Georgia, both are licensed by the Healthcare Facility Regulation Division of the Department of Community Health (DCH). The legal definitions are what separate them:
- A personal care home (PCH) is any dwelling that provides housing, food service and one or more personal services for two or more adults who are not related to the owner or administrator. It can be an ordinary house with a handful of residents.
- An assisted living community (ALC) is a personal care home that serves 25 or more residents and is specifically licensed to provide assisted living care.
"Assisted living care" is the key phrase. Under the rules, it includes administering medications through a certified medication aide, helping residents who can't evacuate on their own, and providing limited nursing services. A personal care home that is not licensed as an assisted living community is not allowed to provide assisted living care.
Side-by-side comparison
| Personal care home | Assisted living community | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Two or more residents; often a house-sized home | 25 or more residents |
| Governing rule | Georgia Rule 111-8-62 | Georgia Rule 111-8-63 |
| Medication | Supervision of and help with medications residents take themselves | Staff can administer medications (certified medication aide) |
| Nursing | Home does not provide nursing; outside providers such as home health or hospice can visit | Limited nursing services |
| Mobility | Residents generally must be able to walk or self-propel and get out in an emergency with minimal help | Can assist residents who need hands-on help to evacuate |
| Administrator | Fewer than 25 beds: associate's degree, or a high school diploma/GED plus two years' experience | State-licensed long-term care facility administrator |
| Feel | Small, home-like | Larger, community-style |
One nuance: a personal care home may keep up to three non-ambulatory residents as part of an "aging in place" exception, if it meets additional fire-safety and staffing conditions. Ask any home you tour whether it uses this exception and how.
What a personal care home can and can't do
A personal care home is built for people who need day-to-day help but not medical care around the clock. Typical personal services include help with bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, eating, getting around and reminders or supervision for medications.
What it can't do on its own is provide ongoing skilled nursing. If a resident needs something like regular wound care or injections, the home usually can't take that on directly, though residents can often receive services from a separate home health agency or hospice that visits the home. If your relative's needs are likely to grow, ask early how the home handles that.
What about memory care?
Dementia changes the picture. In Georgia, a home can only operate a memory care center if it holds a separate memory care certificate from the state. If your relative wanders or is at risk of leaving unsupervised, ask directly: Do you hold a memory care certificate, and what does your staffing look like at night? Don't assume a small home is set up for it.
How much do they cost?
There is no single price, and published numbers vary by survey and year. Published averages for assisted living in Georgia generally land somewhere between roughly $3,500 and $4,600 a month, with Atlanta typically above the state average. Personal care homes are often less expensive because they provide fewer medical services, but cost depends on the room type, the level of help needed and what's included.
Don't compare headline prices alone. Ask every home for a written fee schedule that shows the base rate, what triggers additional charges (for example, higher levels of assistance) and what happens to your deposit if your relative leaves.
Which one is the better fit?
A personal care home may fit if your relative:
- needs help with daily activities but not nursing care
- can walk or move on their own, and could get out in an emergency with minimal help
- takes medications they can manage with reminders or supervision
- would be happier in a small, home-like setting
Assisted living may fit if your relative:
- needs medications administered by staff
- needs hands-on help to evacuate or transfer
- may need limited nursing support
- would like a larger community with more amenities
Neither may be enough if your relative needs continuous skilled nursing. That generally points to a skilled nursing facility. A doctor or hospital social worker can help you sort this out.
How to vet any home in Georgia
- Confirm the license. DCH runs GaMap2Care, a public tool for verifying a facility's license and reading its inspection reports.
- Read the latest inspection report and plan of correction. Homes must display their most recent report on site, and a home with a website must link to its reports from the past 18 months.
- Watch for misleading marketing. A personal care home that isn't licensed as an assisted living community isn't allowed to use "assisted living" in its name or marketing.
- Visit more than once, at different times of day, including a mealtime.
- Ask about discharge. Every home is required to have a policy on admissions, discharges and refunds. Ask what changes in care would require your relative to move out, and how much notice you'd get.
Questions to ask on a tour
- Is the home licensed as a personal care home or an assisted living community?
- What's the staff-to-resident ratio during the day and overnight, and who is awake at night?
- Who helps with medications, and how are they tracked?
- Do you accept residents who use a wheelchair or walker? What about "aging in place"?
- Do you hold a memory care certificate?
- What are the monthly fees, and what is not included?
- What happens if my relative's needs increase? What would trigger a move?
- What's your refund policy if my relative transfers or passes away?
- Can I see your most recent inspection report?
- How do you communicate with families, and how quickly do you respond to concerns?
Find a care home near you
Jadely helps families search care homes by location and compare options in one place. Search care homes on Jadely, or start with care homes in Atlanta.
This article is general information, not legal, medical or financial advice. Georgia's rules can change, so confirm current requirements with DCH and the home itself.
Sources
- Georgia Department of Community Health, Personal Care Homes program: https://dch.georgia.gov/divisionsoffices/hfrd/facilities-provider-information/personal-care-homes
- Georgia Rules and Regulations, Chapter 111-8-62 (Personal Care Homes): https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/111-8-62
