Understanding Resilience of Adult Foster Care Providers

With the growth of the aging population, and in particular individuals 85 years and older, there is a growing need for a range of long-term care housing and service options. There is also an urgent need to address supportive housing options for citizens aging with disabilities, especially those without the financial resources to pay for their housing and care needs. One such housing option is Adult Foster Care (AFC), a small-setting community-care option that provides older persons and individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities with a home-and family-like environment with opportunity for 24-h care and community integration. AFC varies significantly across states in terms of regulations, name of the service (e.g., adult family care homes, board-and-care homes), financing, and numbers of residents served within an AFC facility. As gatekeepers to services and community engagement for the AFC residents, providers are fundamental to the AFC resident experience, serving as the primary managers of their residences and the responsible party for their residents’ well-being. They are uniquely situated between regulations stemming from policy and the outcomes experienced by the care recipient. In this chapter, we discuss mechanisms for supporting the resilience of AFC care providers.