Assisted Living Facilities in Tennessee

A Caregiver's Guide to Assisted Living Facilities in Tennessee

What they're called

Official name: Assisted Care Living Facilities

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 or shared (up to two persons) living units (from single rooms to multiroom apartments) with some cooking facilities; bathrooms may be shared
• All meals, usually in a common dining area
• General supervision
• Assistance with medications, or administration of medications by a licensed professional
• Personal care services, including assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as eating, dressing, and toileting
• Social and exercise activities

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

What they cost

Median monthly fees: $3,080 (higher for residents requiring memory care)

State of Tennessee requirements

• In addition to personal care, an assisted care living facility may -- but isn't required to -- provide medical services such as administration of medication, part-time intermittent nursing care, physical or other therapy, podiatry, medical supplies and equipment, and hospice care.
• A facility may contract with outside licensed agencies and individuals to provide medical services care.
• A resident may receive hospice services in the facility if the resident's treating physician certifies that hospice can be appropriately provided there.

State of Tennessee oversight

The Tennessee Department of Health, Division of Health Care Facilities (615-741-3111) oversees assisted living facilities.

How to resolve problems or offer feedback

• Contact the regional office near you of the Tennessee long-term care ombudsman program, or call the central state office at 877-236-0013; this is a free service to help residents informally resolve problems with a facility.
• To register a complaint about a facility, you can contact Tennessee's Department of Health, Division of Health Care Facilities or call 877-287-0010.
• Rate and review assisted living facilities.

How to pay for assisted living in Tennessee

• Most assisted living is paid for privately by the resident and/or his or her family.
• For Medicaid-eligible low-income residents, the state's home and community-based services waiver program pays part of the monthly fees for personal care services provided in participating facilities.
• 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.