Pennsylvania's DHS licenses two different non-nursing senior care categories — here's how a Personal Care Home differs from an Assisted Living Residence, and where memory care fits.
By Philly Senior Advisor Care Team — Licensing & Memory Care Team · March 28, 2026
In Pennsylvania, the state Department of Human Services (DHS) licenses two distinct categories of non-nursing residential senior care: the Personal Care Home (PCH), regulated under 55 Pa. Code Chapter 2600, and the Assisted Living Residence (ALR), regulated under 55 Pa. Code Chapter 2800 and established by Act 56 of 2007. Both can care for seniors who need help with daily activities, but ALRs are licensed to a higher standard — they must be able to accommodate residents with somewhat greater care needs and are required to offer a philosophy of resident-directed care, negotiated risk agreements, and specific physical-plant standards that go beyond what a PCH must provide.
In everyday marketing, many communities across Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware, and Chester counties simply call themselves 'assisted living' regardless of which of the two licenses they actually hold — so the marketing name alone doesn't tell a family which regulatory category applies. Always ask directly: 'Are you licensed by DHS as a Personal Care Home or an Assisted Living Residence?' and verify the answer against the DHS facility license search.
Nursing homes are a completely separate category, licensed not by DHS but by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) under 28 Pa. Code Chapter 211, and they provide 24-hour skilled nursing care rather than the personal-care model of a PCH or ALR. It's a common mix-up: DHS handles Personal Care Homes and Assisted Living Residences, while DOH handles nursing homes — two different state agencies with two different inspection and enforcement processes. When checking a facility's record, make sure to search the right agency's database for the right type of license.
Memory care in Pennsylvania isn't a separate license category — it's typically delivered inside a PCH or ALR that has a secured dementia-care unit and staff trained to the state's dementia-care curriculum requirements. When touring a memory-care unit, ask specifically what underlying DHS license the building holds (PCH or ALR), since that affects staffing ratios and the philosophy-of-care requirements that apply to the secured unit.
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