Assisted Living · Pierce County
More independence. More amenities.
We help families compare assisted living communities against AFHs and memory care — free of charge, paid by the homes we place into.
What Washington ALFs provide
Housing plus care. Licensed under WAC 388-78A (RCW 18.20).
Under WAC 388-78A, an ALF provides housing plus at least one basic service — taking responsibility for resident safety, assisting with ADLs, providing health support, or delivering intermittent nursing services.
Residents typically have their own apartment (studio or one-bedroom), shared dining, programmed activities, and on-site caregivers scheduled or on-call. Medication management, personal care, transportation, housekeeping, and daily meals are standard.
‘Boarding Home’ is the legacy Washington term; most older licenses were converted to ‘assisted living facility’ language.
Who it fits
When ALF is the right call — and when an AFH or memory care fits better.
Social & active
Residents still engaged with groups, organized activities, shared dining — not isolated in a smaller household.
Stable care needs
Help with 1–3 ADLs, medication management, transportation — not intensive medical support.
Private-pay or LTC
Adequate private funds, robust LTC insurance, or VA benefits to cover base rate plus care-level add-ons.
Values amenities
Organized activities, dining room, fitness space, community programming matter.
Cost structure
Base rate plus care-level add-ons.
Pierce County 2026 private-pay: studios $4,500–$7,000, one-bedrooms $5,500–$8,500. Care-level add-ons $500–$2,500/month. Memory care $8,500–$11,500.
How we vet ALFs
Behavioral, not architectural.
On an ALF tour, the things worth watching for are behavioral. Is the dining room calm at peak hours? Are residents engaging, or watching TV alone? Is the caregiving staff visible, or do we walk past empty corridors? Are the common bathrooms actually clean, not just staged?
We also check DSHS inspection reports. Every licensed ALF in Washington has a public survey record at dshs.wa.gov. Homes with unaddressed deficiencies or recent enforcement actions come off our shortlist until resolved.
Cities we serve
Pierce County & South King County — 20 cities.
Common questions
Common questions about ALFs
No. Nursing homes (skilled nursing facilities) are federally regulated and provide 24/7 licensed nursing. ALFs are residential care communities regulated by WAC 388-78A and do not provide continuous skilled nursing.
Many larger ALFs have secured memory care units within the license, staffed separately with locked perimeters and wander-guard. See our memory care hub.
Yes — many families do as care needs progress. We help families think about this trajectory on the initial placement so the starting point isn’t a decision we’ll have to undo in 18 months.
No. Medicare covers short-term skilled nursing and home health, not long-term custodial care in an ALF.
Start here
Start your assisted living search.
Free advisor service. We call within 1 business day — same day if urgent.