An adult family home in University Place where care feels like home.
Private rooms, caregivers who are awake all night, and a family table to sit at. Professional care with the attention only a small home can give.
Professional support, personal attention, one resident at a time.
A Care Of Joy provides nursing-level personal care for the elderly in a residential setting. Every resident is treated with compassion, respect and dignity, and every care plan is built around one person, not a schedule.
- Licensed for six residents
- Customized care plans
- Memory, mental-health and Parkinson’s care
- Age in place, hospice welcomed
- Low caregiver-to-resident ratio
- 24-hour awake staff
- Private bedrooms
- Family-style dining
- Quiet University Place neighborhood
What every day includes
Private bedrooms
Each resident has their own room to furnish with the things that matter to them, with a personal TV and space for family to sit.
Awake staff, all night
A caregiver is awake and on the floor through the night, not on call in another room. Help arrives in seconds.
Customized care plans
Personal care, medication management and mobility support planned with the resident, their family and their doctor, and reviewed as needs change.
Memory and mental-health care
Caregivers hold Washington State specialty training for dementia and mental health, so behaviour is met with patience and routine, not restraint.
Age in place
Residents stay in the room and with the caregivers they know as their needs grow. Hospice teams are welcomed into the home.
Family-style dining
Nutritious meals cooked in our kitchen and eaten together at the table. Preferences and diets are respected.
Care for every stage
Long-term residential care is our foundation. Three services sit on top of it.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s care
A predictable routine, a calm home and staff trained for dementia, all night long.
Comfort at the end of life
Age in place with your hospice team welcomed in and family beside you at any hour.
Short stays, full care
A few days or a few weeks in a private room so a family caregiver can rest.
A real house on a quiet University Place street
A residential home on Willow Lane, a few minutes from the University Place Senior Center, the library and the shops along Bridgeport Way, and about ten minutes from St. Joseph and Tacoma General hospitals. Residents have private bedrooms and share the living room, kitchen table and garden like any household.
Come and see it. Tours are by appointment so we can give you our full attention and introduce you to the caregivers on shift.
Owned and run by people who are here every day
The owner is part of daily life in the home, and the caregivers are a small, steady team who know every resident by name and by habit.
What families say
Reviews from families, in their own words, as they wrote them on Google.
Morena is such a kind and compassionate person, and that warmth shines through in her adult family care home. She puts her heart into caring for others and creating a welcoming place where residents feel valued and respected. Choosing care for a loved one is such an important decision, and having someone who leads with patience, kindness, and dignity means…
My husband was a resident at A Care of Joy for 6 months following a severe stroke in Dec2025! We came to them following stays at the hospital and Nursing Home! The staff was wonderful helping us to get him ready to return home! The family style kitchen and living room were pretty close to being at home! Morena and…
I have only good things to say about the care and individualized attention my mother receives as a multi-year resident at A Care of Joy AFH. Morena and her staff go above and beyond to anticipate her every need and preference, and to keep her comfortable during her dementia journey. Our family is exceptionally grateful for the warmth, welcome and…
Our mother spent more than a year at A Care of Joy adult family home, and our family will always be grateful for the exceptional care she received there. As a bedridden resident, she needed help with virtually every aspect of her daily life. The staff was not only compassionate, patient, and attentive, but also very well trained and knowledgeable…
If your family has experienced our care, a review helps another family find a home they can trust. It takes two minutes and means a great deal to the caregivers.
Common questions
What is an adult family home?
An adult family home is a licensed residential home in Washington State where a small number of adults live and receive personal care, meals, medication help and supervision around the clock. A Care Of Joy is licensed for six residents. It feels like a home, not a facility, because it is one.
How is an adult family home different from assisted living?
Assisted living communities house dozens of residents in apartment-style buildings. An adult family home cares for no more than a handful of residents in a regular house, so caregivers know each person well and daily life keeps a family rhythm.
How do I schedule a tour?
Use the tour request form on our contact page or call us. Tours are by appointment so we can give you our full attention and introduce you to the caregivers on shift.
Do you accept Medicaid?
Yes. We accept private pay and Medicaid. Medicaid is accepted after four years of private pay under a private-pay agreement, which is a common arrangement in Washington adult family homes. Ask us and we will walk you through how it works for your situation.
The best way to know is to visit.
Tours are by appointment. Meet the caregivers, see the rooms and stay for a cup of coffee.