Questions and answers

An adult family home is a regular house in a residential neighborhood that is licensed by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to care for up to six adults who are not related to the provider. Residents receive a room, meals, laundry, 24-hour supervision, help with daily activities such as bathing and dressing, and medication assistance. Washington pioneered this model in 1989, and there are now roughly 4,000 licensed adult family homes across the state. Silvergate operates two of them, in Bonney Lake and Buckley.

The main differences are size and pricing. An assisted living facility houses anywhere from seven to several hundred residents in a purpose-built building with departmental staff. An adult family home has at most six residents in a house, usually with one caregiver for every two or three residents and an owner who is often on site. Adult family homes typically charge one all-inclusive monthly rate, while assisted living usually charges base rent plus tiered care fees. Assisted living tends to offer more organized activities and amenities; an adult family home offers more individual attention.

Yes. Silvergate Adult Family Home in Bonney Lake is DSHS license number 755142, and Silvergate at Buckley is license number 759153. You can look up either license on the DSHS Adult Family Home Locator, where you will find current capacity, specialty designations, inspection reports, and each home's Disclosure of Services. We link to both records from the footer of this site and encourage every family to read them.

Washington requires an adult family home to hold a specialty designation before it may admit a resident with a formal dementia or mental illness diagnosis. To earn the designation, the provider and caregivers complete additional DSHS-approved training in that specialty. Both Silvergate homes hold the dementia and mental health designations, and they appear on our DSHS license records.

Yes. Mary Ndungu, the owner and licensed provider of both homes, is a registered nurse. She writes and reviews each resident's care plan and coordinates with physicians, home health, and hospice. At Silvergate at Buckley she lives in the home. In Bonney Lake, the home is staffed around the clock and an LPN is scheduled as needed. Nursing tasks that must be delegated, such as insulin injections, are covered through nurse delegation by a contracted RN; delegation fees are billed to the resident.

Yes to all three. Both homes have a Hoyer lift and staff trained to use it, along with gait belts and one-person transfer assistance. Medication services include insulin injections and blood sugar monitoring. We coordinate with hospice and home health agencies so residents can stay in the home through the end of life whenever that is their wish. Residents at risk of skin breakdown are repositioned every two hours and have their skin checked at each shower.

Silvergate Adult Family Home in Bonney Lake accepts Medicaid and holds DSHS contracts for Adult Family Home, Expanded Community Services, and Specialized Behavior Support. Residents who begin on private pay are asked to remain private pay for two years before transitioning to Medicaid, with 90 days written notice so paperwork is complete and there is no lapse in payment. Silvergate at Buckley is currently private pay; please contact us about future Medicaid options there.

The monthly rate covers the room, three home-cooked meals a day plus snacks, laundry, housekeeping, 24-hour supervision, help with all activities of daily living, medication management, and activities. Rates depend on the level of care a person needs and are confirmed after an in-person assessment. Items that are usually billed separately include incontinence supplies, personal items, and nurse delegation fees. Call either home for a current quote.

Tours are offered daily from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm by appointment at both the Bonney Lake and Buckley homes. Call (253) 447-8544 for Bonney Lake or (360) 761-7123 for Buckley, or use the tour request form on this site. Families are welcome to visit residents any day; we ask that you avoid mealtimes when possible so residents can eat without interruption.

After a tour, our RN owner completes an assessment of the prospective resident, either in person or at the hospital or facility where they are staying. Washington requires a physician's assessment, a tuberculosis screening, and a negotiated care plan before move-in. We walk families through each form, and we can usually complete the process within a few days when a hospital discharge is pending. Read our article on how admission works for a step-by-step overview.