This isn't about the size of the building. A small house and a large apartment-style community can both be Type A or Type B. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) licenses each home based on whether its residents can leave the building in an emergency and whether they need someone with them at night.
Type A and Type B, side by side
| Type A | Type B | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting out in an emergency | Resident can leave without physical help from staff | Resident may need staff help to leave |
| Overnight | No routine attendance needed during sleeping hours | Resident may need attendance during sleeping hours |
| Following directions in an emergency | Resident must be able to follow them | Resident may not be able to |
| Wheelchairs | Fine, if the resident can transfer and get out alone | Fine, including help moving to and from the wheelchair |
| Bedfast | Not addressed in this rule | Resident must not be permanently bedfast |
Summarized from 26 Tex. Admin. Code § 553.5.
Why this matters when you choose
A home can only care for residents who fit its license. If your mom needs someone to help her to the bathroom at 2 a.m., or help getting in and out of her wheelchair, you want a home licensed for that. If she's steady on her own today, either type may work, but needs can change. It's worth asking now what would happen if she needed more help later.
How to check a home's license
You don't have to take anyone's word for it. Texas HHS has a provider search where you can look up licensed homes. You can look us up there too. Our Facility ID is 112162.
Questions to ask on a tour
- Is this home licensed as Type A or Type B?
- If my parent needs more help later, what happens?
- Who is here overnight, and how do you check on residents?
- How is the level of care decided, and how often is it reviewed?
- What does the monthly rate cover, and what costs extra?
Any good home should answer these without hedging. Ask for the answers in writing.
Where Graceful Meadows fits
Graceful Meadows is a small, residential assisted living home on Calvert Road in Tomball, licensed by Texas HHSC as a Type B facility (Facility ID 112162). Caregivers are on hand 24 hours a day. When you visit, we sit down with you and your loved one, go over the level of care they need, and walk through the pricing, so you know what to expect before move-in.
If you'd like to see the home, you can book a tour or call us at (346) 336-5075. We'll answer every question you've got.
Sources: 26 Tex. Admin. Code § 553.5, Types of Assisted Living Facilities (Cornell LII) · Texas HHS, Assisted Living Facilities (ALF) · Texas HHS, LTC Provider Search info page (TULIP)