Ministry of Health
Office of the Assisted Living Registrar
Glossary of Terms
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Able to direct their own care/Able to make decisions on their own behalf — being able to make the range of decisions that allow people to function safely in the supportive semi-independent environment of an assisted living residence. Under section 26(3) of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, operators are prohibited from housing someone who is unable to make decisions on their own behalf. On this website, “able to make decisions on their own behalf” and “able to direct their own care” mean the same thing.
Activities of daily living — bathing, dressing, grooming, washing, oral hygiene, perineal care, incontinence care, eating, mobility and/or using the toilet. This is one of the two personal assistance service areas typically provided in assisted living residences for seniors.
Adult — a person aged 19 years of age or older.
Residential Care Regulations— these regulations apply to residential community care facilities. The regulations define terms, set licence application requirements, and establish minimum health and safety requirements.
Applicant — a person who is applying to register an assisted living residence under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act.
Assignment — a licensed practical nurse can assign a task to a non-professional staff member (e.g., a community health worker), provided the task is already within the education and knowledge base of the staff member. Licensed practical nurses cannot educate or train non-professional staff to perform a task that is not already within their scope of education and knowledge (i.e., they cannot do a delegation of task).
Assisted Living Registrar — as defined in section 1 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, "Registrar" means “the assisted living registrar designated under section 24 and includes, for the purposes of a delegation under section 24(2), the person to whom the delegation is made”. The Registrar may delegate, for example, to the Assisted Living Coordinators or a peer reviewer.
Assisted Living Regulation — applies to assisted living residences. The regulation sets the expiration of registration, sets fees, and creates some health and safety standards for medication assistance in assisted living residences.
Assisted living residence — is defined in section 1 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act as:
a premises or part of a premises, other than a community care facility,
a. in which housing, hospitality services and at least one but not more than 2 prescribed services are provided by or through the operator to 3 or more adults who are not related by blood or marriage to the operator of the premises, or
b. designated by the Lieutenant Governor in Council to be an Assisted Living Residence.
Assisted living worker — see community care worker.
By or through the operator — means that an operator either delivers the assisted living services directly or has a contract with someone else to perform the service. For example, an operator might contract with a food service company to deliver meals.
Campus of care — as used on this website, “campus of care” means a situation where more than one level of housing and care is provided in a residence or group of buildings: e.g., supportive housing and assisted living in different wings of the same building, or assisted living in one building and complex care in an adjacent building. See also stand-alone assisted living residence.
Care — as defined in section 1 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act:
means supervision that is provided to…
(c) an adult who is
(i) vulnerable because of family circumstances, age, disability, illness or frailty, and
(ii) dependent on caregivers for continuing assistance or direction in the form of 3 or more prescribed services;
Case manager — employed by a regional health authority, the case manager assesses a person for eligibility for assisted living or complex care.
Cluster care — where a health authority assigns a community health worker to provide scheduled home support services to a group of residents in one residence. Cluster care differs from assisted living in that the operator does not provide home support services.
Community Care and Assisted Living Appeal Board — hears and decides appeals of decisions about the registration of assisted living residences.
Community Care and Assisted Living Regulation — lists the prescribed services. The maximum number of prescribed services an operator may offer differentiates an assisted living residence (maximum two services) from a licensed community care facility (three or more services). The regulation also provides for access to the Community Care and Assisted Living Appeal Board process.
Community Care Facilities Licensing — the Community Care Facilities branch is part of the Health Protection Division of the Ministry of Health. Community Care Facilities Licensing is responsible for the development and implementation of legislation, policy and guidelines to protect the health and safety of people being cared for in licensed community care facilities. Community care facilities licensing programs are administered locally by medical health officers and licensing officers in the five regional health authorities.
Community care facility — as defined in section 1 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act:
a premises or part of a premises
a. in which a person provides care to 3 or more persons who are not related by blood or marriage to the person and includes any other premises or part of a premises that, in the opinion of the medical health officer, is used in conjunction with the community care facility for the purpose of providing care, or
b. designated by the Lieutenant Governor in Council to be a community care facility;
Community health worker —see Unregulated care provider.
Complex care — often referred to as extended care, intermediate care, long-term care or residential care. Complex care is provided in a community care facility. It provides a higher level of personal assistance than assisted living. Complex care is for people who require 24-hour supervision, personal nursing care and/or treatment by skilled nursing staff. In assisted living, residents must be able to direct their own care.
Congregate housing — housing in which tenants have private rooms but share common areas such as kitchen, dining room, living room and bathroom. Congregate housing usually provides supportive services like meals and housekeeping in addition to rental accommodation.
TopDelegation of task — where a professional, usually a registered nurse or registered psychiatric nurse, shares responsibility with other care providers, such as licensed practical nurses and community health workers, to provide a particular aspect of care. These professionals are usually health authority staff but may be contracted by the health authority or employed by the assisted living residence operator. Delegated tasks (e.g., assistance with medication) are usually performed by a professional; they are client-specific, require clinical judgment and are not usually in the role description of the unregulated care provider. The health care professional who delegates the task remains responsible for the determination of client status, care planning, interventions and evaluation of care.
Environmental Health Protection Programs — are administered locally by Public Health Inspectors/Environmental Health Officers, who are responsible for direct service delivery in health authorities throughout the province. Environmental Health deals with food safety, drinking water safety, personal services establishments, recreational water safety, communicable disease management, tobacco control, the issuance of relevant operating permits and other public health issues.
Environmental Health Officer — see Public Health Inspector.
Extended care — see complex care.
Family care homes — residences in which operators provide prescribed services to one or two adults to whom they are not related, or to any number of adults to whom they are related by blood or marriage. Family care homes do not need to be registered as assisted living residences because they do not meet the definition of an assisted living residence under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act.
Flat linens — sheets and towels, whether supplied by the resident or the operator.
Food service supervisor/diet technician — a person who is eligible for membership in the Canadian Society of Nutrition Management.
Home care/home support — personal assistance services, such as bathing, provided to a person in the community.
Home support worker — see Unregulated care provider.
Hospitality services — as defined in section 1 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, means “meal services, housekeeping services, laundry services, social and recreational opportunities and a 24-hour emergency response system”.
Independent living — on this website, independent living means housing for seniors that may or may not provide hospitality services. In this living arrangement, seniors lead an independent lifestyle that requires minimal or no extra assistance. See also supportive housing.
Intermediate care — see complex care.
Jurisdiction — means that the Office of the Assisted Living Registrar has the power to investigate a complaint under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act.
Key areas of function include the ability to:
- initiate activities to the extent necessary to function safely for the periods they are alone in their unit;
- find their way within the assisted living residence given available cueing;
- recognize the consequences of decisions or actions and that some actions may result in injury or harm to themselves or others;
- recognize an emergency and summon help or follow directions;
- find their way back to the residence independently;
- participate in regular reviews of their service needs, that is, respond to questions about needs and services offered; and
- seek assistance when they have a complaint about something happening at the residence, although family or friends may actually convey the matter to the Assisted Living Registrar.
The person must be able to perform all of these functions at the assisted living residence by himself or herself unless a spouse, who is willing and able to make decisions, is there to provide daily support on the person's behalf.
For more information on the key areas of function, see the Assisted Living Registrant Entry and Exit Policy [PDF 332 Kb].
Licence— as defined in section 1 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, means “a licence issued under section 11”. Licences are issued to community care facilities, while assisted living residences are registered.
Licensed practical nurse — a practical nurse who holds a valid licence from the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of British Columbia.
Long-term care — see complex care.
Medical health officer — as defined in section 1 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, means “a medical health officer appointed under the Health Act”.
Medication assistance — one of the personal assistance areas operators can choose to offer at an assisted residence. It includes central storage of medication, distribution of medication, administering medication or monitoring the taking of medication as defined in section 2 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Regulation.
Operator — the owner of a residence at which assisted living services are being provided.
Peer reviewer — an assisted living operator or other assisted living stakeholder who helps the Assisted Living Coordinator conduct a site inspection.
Person in care — as defined in section 1 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, means “a person who resides in or attends a community care facility for the purpose of receiving care”.
Personal assistance — assistance with daily activities that help a person remain independent. Personal assistance can be provided at the support level or the prescribed level. An assisted living operator may provide personal assistance at the prescribed level in only two service areas — e.g., activities of daily living and medication assistance. The operator may provide assistance in any number of service areas at the less intensive support level. Also known as personal care.
Personal Assistance Guidelines — the guidelines set out the personal assistance tasks that may be assigned directly to unregulated care providers versus tasks that may be delegated by professionals to unregulated care providers. Operators of assisted living residences must deliver personal assistance in accordance with the Personal Assistance Guidelines.
Personal care — see personal assistance.
Personal services establishment — at an assisted living residence, a hairdresser.
Personal services plan — an agreement between an individual resident and the operator that includes the nature of the resident’s needs and service requests, the risks the resident is facing and a plan for delivery of services. The plan is developed when the resident moves in and is updated regularly.
Premises — as defined in section 1 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act means “a building or structure and includes outside areas adjacent to the building or structure ordinarily used in the course of providing services”.
Prescribed level — means providing a personal assistance service at a level that triggers the requirement for registration as an assisted living residence. A service is at the prescribed level if it is provided daily to weekly on a regular and continuous basis: e.g., assistance with bathing once a week, nightly toileting or central storage of medications.
Prescribed services — as defined in section 1 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, means “services prescribed under section 34 to be prescribed services”.
The prescribed services are set out in section 2 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Regulation:
- regular assistance with activities of daily living, including eating, mobility, dressing, grooming, bathing or personal hygiene;
- central storage of medication, distribution of medication, administering medication or monitoring the taking of medication;
- maintenance or management of the cash resources or other property of a resident or person in care;
- monitoring of food intake or of adherence to therapeutic diets;
- structured behaviour management and intervention;
- psychosocial rehabilitative therapy or intensive physical rehabilitative therapy
Private-pay — in private-pay assisted living, residents are responsible for all costs.
Professional care — hands-on or direct services from a registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, physiotherapist, occupational therapist or mental health professional. Short-term professional care may be provided to residents in assisted living who are convalescent or palliative, or who are no longer appropriate for assisted living and are awaiting transfer to an alternative level of care.
Public Health Inspector — Public Health Inspectors/Environmental Health Officers surveil and monitor activities and premises, including assisted living residences, that may affect the public's health. They also administer and enforce provincial legislation related to environmental health and intervene to minimize health and safety hazards.
Publicly subsidized — in publicly subsidized assisted living, residents pay 70 percent of their after-tax income for housing, hospitality services and personal assistance services. Residents who receive income assistance pay a pre-determined set rate. Residents with higher incomes pay up to a maximum amount based on comparable private services. Access to subsidized assisted living is through the regional health authority.
Residential care — often referred to as extended care, intermediate care, long-term care or complex care. Residential care is provided in a community care facility. It provides a higher level of personal assistance than assisted living. Residential care is for people with complex care needs who require 24-hour supervision, personal nursing care and/or treatment by skilled nursing staff. In assisted living, residents must be able to direct their own care.
Residential care aide —a person who delivers personal assistance in an assisted living residence, community care facility or the community; also known as an unregulated care provider, a community health worker or a home support worker.
Registered nurse — a nurse who holds a valid registration from the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia.
Registrant — as defined in section 1 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, means “an operator of an assisted living residence registered under section 25.” See also applicant and operator.
Registrar — see Assisted Living Registrar.
Registration — as defined in section 1 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, means “a registration of an assisted living residence under section 25 (1).”
Resident — as defined in section 1 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act,means “a person who lives in an assisted living residence”.
Residential care — see complex care.
Residential care aide — a person who delivers personal assistance in an assisted living residence, community care facility or the community; also known as a community health worker or home support worker.
Scheduled personal assistance — means the provision of personal assistance that can be delivered at a set time of day: e.g., help with bathing or medications. See also unscheduled personal assistance.
Site — an assisted living residence.
Stand-alone assisted living residence — means the residence provides only assisted living services. See also campus of care.
Support level — means providing one or more personal assistance service areas at a level that does not trigger the requirement for registration of an assisted living residence: e.g., drawing a bath or handing a resident soap or shampoo.
Supportive recovery residences/homes — provides a safe and drug-free environment for persons recovering from drug or alcohol addictions. They also provide no more than 2 prescribed services.
Supportive housing – a residence in which the operator provides hospitality services only. No personal assistance services are provided by or through the operator.
Three or more adults who are not related by blood or marriage to the operator — in order to be considered assisted living, a residence must provide prescribed services to at least three adults who are not relatives of the operator. Homes that provide services to one or two adults to whom they are not related, or to any number of adults to whom they are related by blood or marriage, do not need to be registered as assisted living residences because they do not meet the definition of an assisted living residence under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act.
Unit — a room or set of rooms in an assisted living residence in which a resident lives or which the resident shares with another related person, e.g., a spouse. A unit can be a bedroom (with or without private or shared bathroom), a bachelor apartment, a one-bedroom apartment or a two-bedroom apartment. When calculating registration fees, a suite is counted as one unit even if two people live in it.
Unregulated care provider —a person who delivers personal assistance in an assisted living residence, a community care facility or the community; also known as a community health worker, home support worker or residential care aide.
Unscheduled personal assistance — provision of personal assistance services that do not conform to a set time of day, e.g., assistance with toileting.