Residential care These homes, especially smaller ones, have long cared for the area's elderly. In Charleston County, there are 59 centers with 10 or fewer residents. There are just 10 with more than 30 residents. As consumers found these to be a nice middle ground between living at home and moving to a nursing home, corporate America jumped in. Large chains have built giant, luxury homes often called assisted living facilities.
Problem is, there's little to define residential care.
Staff training and types of care vary. Even the names vary - residential care, assisted living, community care, boarding home. They can help folks with activities such as bathing, walking, grooming, eating and self-administering drugs. But there's a huge gray area in deciding what care these homes can give. It's a blurry line that risks residents' safety when crossed, experts and home operators say.