Pennsylvania Statutes Title 62 P.S. Poor Persons and Public Welfare § 1021. Regulations

(i) Meet or exceed standards established in 55 Pa. Code § 2600 (relating to personal care homes). Residents' rights in those or subsequent regulations shall not be subject to waiver.

(ii) Require an assisted living residence to provide a resident with the resident's own living unit. Two residents may voluntarily agree to share one unit, provided that the agreement is in writing and contained in each of the residency agreements of those residents. A licensee shall not require residents to share a unit.

(iii) Provide that supplemental health care services shall be packaged, contracted and priced separately from the resident agreement.

(iv) Require that each living unit contain a private bathroom, living and bedroom space, kitchen capacity, which may mean electrical outlets to have small appliances such as a microwave and refrigerator, closets and adequate space for storage and a door with a lock, except where a lock or appliances in a unit under special care designation would pose a risk or be unsafe.

(v) Establish minimum square footage requirements for individual living units which excludes bathrooms and closet space. Exceptions to the size of the living unit may be made at the discretion of the department.

(vi) Establish a special care designation for assisted living residences and units that require specialized staff training, service planning, activity programming and security measures for residents receiving cognitive support services.

(vii) Create standards for informed consent agreements that promote aging in place which include written acknowledgment of the risks that residents assume while directing their own care and which release the facility from liability for adverse outcomes resulting from actions consistent with the terms of the informed consent agreement. Such informed consent agreements shall only be entered into upon the mutual agreement of the resident and the assisted living residence.

(viii) Create standards for transfer and discharge that require the assisted living residence to make a reasonable accommodation for aging in place and that may include services from outside providers.