Dementia (Neurocognitive Disorder) Plan of Care for California ARFs and RCFEs
Updated for the dementia care regulations that took effect January 1, 2025, this editable template gives administrators a complete, organized dementia program description to add to the Plan of Operation and submit to their Licensing Program Analyst (LPA).
One template works for both Adult Residential Facilities (Title 22, Chapter 6) and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (Title 22, Chapter 8). Each requirement is labeled [ARF] or [RCFE], so you keep what applies to your license and delete the rest.
What’s included:
- Regulatory comparison: a side-by-side ARF vs. RCFE table covering who you can serve, plan of operation requirements, advertising rules, assessment forms and elopement reporting, with Title 22 citations.
- Admission, retention and relocation criteria: includes nonambulatory fire clearance and the ARF 60-and-older census rules.
- Appraisal and reassessment framework: when to use the LIC 602A, 603A, 602 and 625, what the appraisal covers, and what triggers a reappraisal.
- Behavioral intervention protocols: a 4-step response model and an intervention table for 10 common behaviors, including wandering, agitation, aggression, sundowning and refusing care.
- Safety and emergency protocols: fire evacuation, an elopement risk assessment, a timed missing-resident search, toxic ingestion and medical emergencies.
- Physical environment section: exit monitoring, delayed egress and locked perimeter requirements, individualized access to hazardous items, and a dementia-friendly design checklist.
- Activity programming: 30+ therapeutic activities in 7 categories, built on the “Best Friends” approach.
- Staffing and training: shift staffing table, awake night supervision rules, required training topics, training hours, and a monthly in-service schedule.
- Medications, health monitoring and residents’ rights: PRN guidelines and signs to watch for, such as dehydration and UTIs.
- Advertising compliance crosswalk: maps each §87706 requirement to the section of the plan that covers it.
- Submission checklist and signature block.
Easy to use: you receive an editable Word document and a print-ready 13-page PDF. Bracketed fields show exactly where to add your facility name, staffing, training schedule and procedures, so the plan you submit reflects how your facility actually operates.
This template is a planning tool, not legal advice. Check current regulations and your LPA’s expectations before you submit.
