Assisted Living Facilities in Kentucky

A Caregiver's Guide to Assisted Living Facilities in Kentucky

What they're called

Official name: Certified Assisted Living Communities

Common name: Assisted living facilities

To compare assisted living to board and care, skilled nursing, and other long-term residential care communities, see Residential Care Options: How to Decide.

What they offer

• Individual living units (from single rooms to multiroom apartments); each unit in facilities that began construction after July 14, 2000, must have its own bathroom
• All meals, usually in a common dining area
• Assistance with self-administered medication
• Personal care services, including help with one or more activities of daily living (ADLs) such as eating, dressing, and bathing
• Social and exercise activities

Note: Some facilities also offer respite care and other special services.

What they cost

Median monthly fees: $2,947.50 (higher for residents requiring memory care)

State of Kentucky requirements

• Resident may engage an outside provider or caregiver for services in addition to those offered by the facility.
• Functional needs assessment of resident to be made upon admission and at least annually thereafter, or following any substantial change in resident's condition.
• Facility isn't permitted to provide medication administration, though it may assist resident with self-administration.

State of Kentucky oversight

The Kentucky state Cabinet for Health & Family Services, Department for Aging & Independent Living (502-564-6930) certifies and regulates assisted living communities.

How to resolve problems or offer feedback

• Contact the Kentucky long-term care ombudsman for your area of the state; this is a free service helping residents informally resolve problems with a facility.
• Rate and review assisted living facilities.

How to pay for assisted living in Kentucky

• Most assisted living is paid for privately, by the resident and/or his or her family.
• Low-income veterans or surviving spouses of veterans may be eligible for Aid and Attendance or other payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which can help pay for assisted living.
• Some assisted living facilities offer sliding scale fees, making a higher level of care available to families that might not otherwise be able to afford it. Be sure to ask -- or ask a geriatric care manager in the area if he or she knows which facilities offer sliding scale fees.

Help finding and choosing a facility

• Hire a geriatric care manager (most have extensive local knowledge about assisted living facilities in a particular geographic area, including space availability, resident needs assessments, sliding scale fees, and resident satisfaction). To find a geriatric care manager, see Caring.com's Senior Living Directory.
• For details about assisted living facilities in each of the 50 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia, see A Caregiver's Guide to Assisted Living Facilities.