Echo Lake

Is Echo Lake licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services?

Yes. Echo Lake at 900 North Atwater Drive, Malvern, PA 19355 holds an active Pennsylvania DHS license as an Assisted Living Residence, license number 147130, for up to 104 residents. The DHS Provider Directory lists its status as Licensed with a full license as of October 24, 2026.

The Assisted Living Residence license (Chapter 2800, created by Act 56 of 2007) is the less common of Pennsylvania's two categories: only 3 of the 50 licensed homes in Chester County hold it. An ALR must offer private living units with a kitchen area and bathroom and can provide more health-related services, so residents can age in place longer than in a typical personal care home.

Pennsylvania licenses are renewed yearly after an inspection. Echo Lake's current Certificate of Compliance runs from April 1, 2026 to April 1, 2027.

Verify it yourself: search license 147130 or the home's name in the DHS Human Services Provider Directory, then open “Inspection Summary” and “Certificate”.

What did the latest DHS inspection of Echo Lake find?

DHS's most recent posted Licensing Inspection Summary for Echo Lake, from its on-site review on 05/27/2026, 05/28/2026, cites 13 violations in licensing, postings and administration; staff training (including first aid and CPR coverage); building condition and sanitation; resident rooms and bathrooms; and 3 other areas.

The summary's cover letter dated August 3, 2026 says DHS determined the home's plan of correction was fully implemented. Every Pennsylvania home must post its latest inspection summary in a conspicuous place, so you can also ask to see it on a tour.

Earlier summaries on the DHS site: January 22, 2026 — 10 violations; April 8, 2025 — 12 violations; September 18, 2024 — 3 violations.

DHS posted 12 inspection summaries for Echo Lake since January 2023; the median for a licensed home in Chester County is 8. More summaries usually mean more visits — yearly renewals plus complaint or follow-up inspections — so read the reports, not just the count.

Read the full inspection summary (PDF) →

Echo Lake has held a provisional license 2 times since 2018 (November 21, 2023 – May 21, 2024; May 13, 2022 – September 30, 2022). DHS issues a six-month provisional license instead of a regular one when a home is not in full compliance at renewal; the home has since returned to a full license. Ask what the problems were and what changed.

Does Echo Lake have a secured memory care unit?

Yes. Echo Lake's DHS certificate approves a Special Care Unit with capacity for 38 residents — about 37% of its 104 licensed beds. Pennsylvania regulates these units under 55 Pa. Code §§2800.231–239 rather than through a separate memory care license.

27 of the 50 licensed homes in Chester County have a secured dementia or special care unit, with a median of 26 beds; Echo Lake's 38-bed unit is larger than most.

Admission to a secured unit requires a written assessment showing the resident needs that level of protection, and the home must give families a disclosure of the unit's services, staffing and costs. Ask for that disclosure in writing.

Where is Echo Lake located in Malvern?

Echo Lake is at 900 North Atwater Drive, Malvern, PA 19355, in Chester County. Hospitals families in Malvern commonly use include Paoli Hospital and Chester County Hospital (Penn Medicine).

Malvern sits in the Great Valley along Route 202 and the Paoli/Thorndale Regional Rail line.

2 other licensed homes are listed in Malvern: Hemsley House of Paoli, Remed Recovery Care Centers.

Veterans and surviving spouses can use the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia and may qualify for VA Aid & Attendance toward personal care home costs.

How does Echo Lake compare with other assisted living in Chester County?

With 104 licensed beds, Echo Lake is larger than most among the 50 DHS-licensed homes in Chester County (number 14 by capacity); the county median is 82.5 beds.

Across the county, 27 homes have a secured dementia or special care unit, 3 hold the Assisted Living Residence license, and 15 are nonprofit-operated.

Closest in size among Chester County homes, from the same DHS records:

How much does Echo Lake cost per month?

Pennsylvania does not publish prices for individual homes, so ask Echo Lake for its written fee schedule and resident contract. This site's 2026 research puts typical Greater Philadelphia assisted living at $4,800–$6,900/mo, with secured dementia care usually in the $6,200–$8,600/mo range.

Assisted Living Residences usually price above personal care homes because of the private-unit and service requirements of Chapter 2800; ask whether care is billed as levels, points or à la carte.

Medicare does not pay for personal care home or assisted living rent. Community HealthChoices (Pennsylvania's Medicaid long-term-care program) does not cover room and board, and some homes accept residents whose income is SSI plus the state supplement for personal care home residents — see our SSI supplement guide. VA Aid & Attendance and long-term care insurance can also help.

What should you ask when touring Echo Lake?

Start with the areas DHS already cited at Echo Lake — licensing, postings and administration, staff training (including first aid and CPR coverage), building condition and sanitation — and ask what changed after the inspection; then cover overnight staffing, the full fee schedule and move-out triggers.

• Where are the current license, inspection summary and the state regulations posted, and who keeps them current?
• How do you make sure a CPR- and first-aid-certified staff member is on duty for every 35 residents on every shift?
• Who walks the building for maintenance and cleanliness, and how often?
• What furnishings, lighting and call equipment come with the room, and how fast are repairs made?
• Can we visit at mealtime and in the evening without an appointment?
• Do you accept residents whose income is SSI plus Pennsylvania's personal care home supplement?
• How do you handle a hospital discharge back to the home?
• What is the full monthly fee for my parent's care level, and what would trigger an increase?

Visit twice — once at a meal — and read the resident contract before paying anything. If problems come up later, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman can help, and DHS takes complaints at 1-877-401-8835.

How does moving into Echo Lake work?

Moving into Echo Lake starts with a preadmission screening and a medical evaluation, then a written assessment the home uses to build your parent's support plan.

• Resident contract. Chapter 2800 requires a written contract listing the fee for each service, refund rules and the notice the home must give before a discharge or rate change. Take it home before signing.
• Assessment and support plan. The home assesses each new resident and writes a support plan within the first 30 days, then updates it at least yearly and whenever needs change.
• Secured unit admission. Placement in Echo Lake's 38-bed Special Care Unit requires a written assessment that the secured setting is needed; ask what would move a resident between the general and secured areas.
• Medications. Ask who administers medications, how they are trained, and whether your parent may self-administer.
• Payment. Rent and care are mostly private pay; ask about deposits, community fees and how a hospital stay affects billing.

Most moves take two to four weeks once a room is available; a hospital discharge can compress that to days, which is when a second set of eyes on the contract helps most.

Frequently asked questions