The 10 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Bentonville, AR for 2023

Bentonville is a suburban city less than 30 minutes from Fayetteville and the borders of Missouri and Oklahoma. It’s home to almost 54,200 people, of which 7.8% are in the 65+ age group. The city has below-average health care and transportation costs, low crime rates and a senior-friendly climate. It’s also home to many cultural attractions, such as the Bentonville Film Festival, and plenty of good restaurants, coffee shops and retail stores.

Assisted living is for seniors who need a caregiver near to help occasionally and for those requiring regular assistance with daily living functions, such as bathing and managing medications. Facilities are homelike, with residents’ rooms often furnished with personal items and furniture. Housekeeping staff takes care of cleaning duties, and chefs typically prepare meals served in a communal environment. The median monthly fee in Bentonville is $3,650, which is below the averages for the state and the country.

This guide considers the advantages and disadvantages of living in Bentonville. It also covers the likely costs for assisted living compared to other cities in Arkansas and alternative types of senior care. Additionally, it lists some free and low-cost senior-friendly resources.

Care providers wanting to open an assisted living facility in Arkansas must get a license from the Arkansas Department of Human Services. The Office of Long-Term Care issues the license after the provider has satisfied strict criteria relating to health and safety, fire safety, insurance and staff training and qualifications. The office can revoke licenses from underperforming facilities.

• According to Sperling’s BestPlaces, Bentonville’s average cost of living index is 98.7, which is above the state’s 77.5 but below the country’s 100. However, the primary cause of such a high cost of living appears to be housing costs, which are unlikely to affect assisted living residents. Seniors may be interested to know the average health and transportation indices are slightly below those for Arkansas.
• Bentonville has a BestPlaces comfort index of 7.4, placing the city at the better end of the spectrum for Arkansas. Winters can be chilly, with temperatures of around 25 degrees and 9 inches of snow is not uncommon. However, summers are often a very pleasant 90 degrees, with precipitation at reasonably comfortable levels. Also, the city typically gets 10 more sunny days than the U.S. average of 205.
• The city’s health cost index is an impressive 84.9/100, despite having fewer physicians per capita than normal and air quality slightly below average. The score is mostly due to the excellent water quality and the city’s successful implementation of the EPA’s Superfund program, which cleans up contaminated land to provide long-term health benefits for residents.
• Crime rates in Bentonville are notably lower than the averages for Arkansas and the United States. The city’s ranking on the scale of violent crime is 11.5 (the U.S. average is 22.7). On the property crime scale, it’s 26.8 (the U.S. average is 35.4). Therefore, although there are no guarantees, seniors are statistically safer in Bentonville than in the majority of American cities.
• Although the city has fewer physicians than normal, it does provide high-quality health care. The primary facilities are Northwest Medical Center and Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas. Bentonville residents are also less than 30 minutes from the nonprofit Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, ranked the best hospital in Arkansas by U.S. News and World Report. 
• Bentonville residents aged 62+ and younger adults on low incomes or with a disability qualify for the Taxi Punch Card Program. Eligible residents receive two $30 punch cards per month that can be used for taxi journeys for any purpose, making it easier for seniors to get around the city.

The median monthly fee for assisted living in Bentonville is $3,650, and seniors considering costs should know the year-on-year increase for assisted living is currently 4.65%.

Seniors in Bentonville can save approximately $110 per month when compared to the $3,760 paid by the typical Arkansan and $850 when compared with the $4,500 paid by the typical American. Bentonville’s median fee of $3,650, which it shares with Jonesboro, is one of the most affordable in the state. Seniors considering relocating are more likely to encounter higher costs, such as the $3,850 typically paid in Fort Smith, $4,488 in Little Rock and $4,500 in Hot Springs, respectively.

At $3,650 for care, accommodation and social activities, assisted living is an affordable option when compared to alternatives in Bentonville. For example, seniors receiving home care services typically pay $4,957, as do those who require the limited medical services provided by home health care. Nursing home residents typically pay $2,433 more than assisted living for a semiprivate room and near-hospital levels of medical care. Genworth doesn’t have costs for adult day care for Bentonville, but the state average is $1,733.

While many families use their own funds or personal assets to pay for assisted living, there are plenty of additional options to cover these costs. Some additional ways to finance assisted living costs include:

• Veterans Benefits
• Life Insurance Policy
• Long-Term Care Insurance
• Reverse Mortgage

For more information about different ways to finance assisted living, visit our Assisted Living in Arkansas page.