Winston-Salem Senior AdvisorHow can we check whether a Winston-Salem care home is licensed?
Look it up on DHSR's facility search or in our directory, which lists every adult care home, family care home and nursing home the state licenses in the five counties, with license number, capacity and expiration date.
If a place says it provides personal care and medication help but does not appear on the state lists, it is not a licensed adult care home, whatever it calls itself. Independent living communities that provide no personal care do not need that license.
Is assisted living licensed in Forsyth County by the county?
No. Only the state's Division of Health Service Regulation licenses adult care homes, family care homes and nursing homes; Forsyth County's role is monitoring through its adult home specialists and handling Adult Protective Services.
The county also takes Special Assistance and Medicaid applications, which is why families deal with both the state and the county.
What do the state's assisted living stars mean?
They are DHSR's rating, zero to four stars, calculated from each home's survey results; four stars means few or minor findings recently, while low ratings reflect serious or repeated problems.
Of the 55 homes the state has rated in the five counties, 25 have four stars, 24 three, 4 two, 2 one and 0 zero. Read the survey documents behind the rating before deciding; each home's page lists them by date.
Why does a home we like have only one or two stars?
Usually because of one recent survey with serious findings, which can pull a rating down sharply; read that survey and the plan of correction, and check whether later visits were clean.
Ask the administrator directly what happened and what changed. A home that answers frankly and can point to a clean follow-up is in a different position from one that dismisses the rating.
Are nursing homes rated the same way as assisted living?
No. Nursing homes carry CMS's one-to-five-star ratings on Medicare's Care Compare, while adult care homes carry the state's zero-to-four stars; the two scales cannot be compared.
Our directory labels every rating with its source, so you always know which scale you are looking at.
How often does North Carolina inspect assisted living?
DHSR surveys each adult care home and family care home annually, with follow-up visits after deficiencies and complaint investigations in between; county adult home specialists visit as well.
All survey documents are public on DHSR's Facility Inspections, Ratings and Penalties search and on each home's page here.
