Arizona Assisted Living: Find a Facility & Apply
How much does assisted living cost in Arizona?
Assisted living costs in Arizona are around $4,000 per month– one of the lowest in the nation. This is what data from Genworth’s Cost of Care Survey shows. The national average is $4,500.
The cost of assisted living facilities has been rising for years and it’s expected to continue that trend. Meanwhile, the number of Americans aged 65 and older is expected to nearly double from 52 million in 2018 to 95 million by 2060, meaning the 65-and-older age might represent 23% of the total population of the US. That means there will be more seniors needing care. And as the population ages, so too will the demand for long-term senior housing options.
Out of all types of long-term care, assisted living is one of the most affordable types of care in Arizona.
How to pay for Assisted Living in Arizona?
There are two main types of payment methods used when paying for assisted living facilities: private pay and Medicaid.
If you need assistance with paying for assisted living in Arizona, you may be able to qualify for Medicaid benefits (ALTCS). Other alternative options could be:
- VA Aid and Attendance benefits
- Long-term care insurance
- Reverse mortgages
Option | Description |
| Arizona’s Medicaid system (ALTCS) | Provides health care and related services for individuals who are disabled and meet age and income requirements. |
| Veterans benefits | Aid and Attendance helps vets and their spouses who cannot live independently, but require care from long term care providers. This can include assisted living, other forms of residential care, or in-home caregiving services. |
| Long-term care insurance | Unlike traditional health insurance, long-term care insurance is created to cover long-term services. |
| Reverse mortgages | Seniors can borrow around 70% of their home’s value to cover assisted living costs. |
Medicaid (ALTCS) is usually the best option for assistance with paying for assisted living.
How to use Medicaid to cover assisted living costs?
Medicaid covers long-term care such as nursing home care and assisted living facilities. However, not everyone is eligible for Medicaid. Applicants must meet certain medical and financial requirements.
How to qualify for ALTCS?
Some of the criteria include:
- The applicant must be age 65 or older, blind, or disabled.
- The applicant must have less than $2000 dollars in cash assets and less than $2,742 in monthly income.
How to apply for assisted living with ALTCS?
- Gather all financial information and documentation.
- Open up an ALTCS application directly through ALTCS, a lawyer, or through a Medicaid planning service such as Senior Planning.
- Wait for the eligibility review that can take between 60-90 days.
- Once approved, you will choose a program contractor (an insurance company) which will pay for your care.
You can learn everything you need to know about eligibility and application on our ALTCS assistance page.
Arizona Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs) Regulations
The Arizona Department of Health Services has adopted regulations for the licensing and operation of adult residential care homes in Arizona. These rules are designed to protect residents from abuse, neglect, exploitation, or abandonment. The department is responsible for ensuring that all licensed ALFs provide safe, appropriate, and quality care to each resident.
Arizona’s ALF regulations are available to everyone, but here are some of the most important ones:
Admission Policies
ALFs must not accept or retain residents whose needs cannot be met by the facility. Residents who need constant medical attention should be placed in a skilled nursing facility or hospital.
Scope of Care
An assisted living facility is a place where elderly people who need help with everyday tasks get adequate care. These tasks are called ADLs (Activities of Daily Living). Facilities often have nurses, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and other professionals available to assist them. Some also offer meals, housekeeping, laundry, transportation, and even recreational activities.
These services can be grouped into three main categories:
- Supervisory care services
- Personal care services
- Directed care services
Service Plan
Residents should be given a written service plan within 14 days after their date of acceptance. The plan must be developed with assistance from the resident or his/her representative, the Facility Manager, and any individuals requested by the resident or his/her representative.
The plan needs to describe what the resident requires and what the staff will provide. It should also specify how often the service will be provided, and if there are any special requirements for the service. If the resident is taking medications, the plan should explain how the staff will administer them.
Medication Provisions
Certified assisted living facilities must provide medication assistance services. These services include reminding residents when it is time to consume their medications, opening containers or organizers for them, observing them remove their medications from containers or organizers, and ensuring that they take the correct doses of their medications.
Food Service
Residents must receive a diet that provides all essential nutrients required to maintain health and well-being. They must also receive a diet that meets their specific medical needs. The facility must offer adaptive eating equipment or utensil options if residents need them.
Private Units and Facility Requirements
Assisted Living Centers (11+ residents) may offer either residential units or bedrooms for single occupancy or double occupancy. Residences must have a keyed entrance, bathroom, resident-controlled thermostat, and kitchen area with sink, fridge, a cooking appliance that may also be disconnected or removed, and space for food prep.
In an Assisted living home or group home (up to 10 residents), a resident’s sleeping area must be on the ground floor. There should be at least two usable exits to the outside from each sleeping area. Each facility requires at least one toilet, sink, and shower per eight residents.
Staff Requirements
ALF staff includes managers, caregivers, and assistants. All staff must be capable of assisting with the needs of residents.
There are no minimum staffing requirements. As long as there are enough staff members on duty to meet the needs of residents, any number of staff may be present.
What to look for when choosing an assisted living facility?
Here are the most important things to consider when choosing an assisted living facility:
- Does the facility accept ALTCS pay or private pay only?
- What are the levels of care and would they suit you or your loved one for the long term? If not, would you be comfortable moving?
- Will the unit feel like home? Prepare a list of all important requirements, e.g private bathroom, room view, etc. Here are some things to consider:
- Is there a balcony or a patio?
- How often is the unit cleaned and how often do they do laundry?
- Are pets allowed?
- Is there room service?
- Which of these things require an additional fee?
- Are the residents happy? Do they like the food, the units, the staff?
- Is there enough to do there? Are there beauty salons, exercises, activities, and game rooms? Is there a full-time activity director?
- Gathering the most informative resources is important, the Area Agency on Aging is a helpful place to start.
It could be hard to filter through all the facilities but we can help! We can provide information about Senior Planning clients and their experiences in certain communities. This can either let you reinforce or reconsider the decision that you are considering.
How Can Senior Planning help?
Our service is free
Senior Planning can help you find assisted living or care homes for free. We are paid commission on the services that we arrange for you, allowing us to assist you with finding care at no charge. We can find places in your budget as well as in your desired location. As a Senior Planning client, our number one priority will be to get you the care you need.
Apply for Financial Assistance
Another major component of Senior Planning’s service is our assistance with state and federal benefits. We know that many seniors on fixed incomes think that assisted living is out of their reach and we are well equipped to help all those that are applicable. Whether you are seeking aid from the ALTCS program here in Arizona, or a Federal benefit through the Department of Veterans Affairs, Senior Planning can help you identify the right options and get everything in order for application submission.
Find an Assisted Living Community
Senior Planning has provided assistance to seniors in search of long term care since 2007. Our knowledgeable agents will work with you to identify your needs and make the best recommendations for you. For seniors who are having trouble maintaining the quality of life they would like at home, Senior Planning is the ideal place for you to begin your search and find the options that are right for you.
Whether you are looking in Phoenix, Tucson, or another part of our great state, Senior Planning can find options for you. As a major provider of long term care planning in the state of Arizona, Senior Planning has forged connections with and gathered information on hundreds and hundreds of Arizona providers, both in the assisted living arena and beyond.
We can:
- Find an appropriate community for you;
- Provide you with background information on a facility you’ve chosen;
- Provide you with a list of communities to choose from.
Request assessment
If you would like to get a list tailored specifically to you in regards to senior assisted living in Arizona, we are more than happy to schedule an assessment. We realize that not everyone is mobile and able to come to us. Let us know if you would like one of our agents to come to you for an assessment. As an alternative, we are more than happy to do a phone assessment to provide a preliminary list of places. There are many different categories of Arizona assisted living, including Arizona memory care, Arizona independent senior living, Arizona skilled nursing communities, and Arizona group homes.
