Assisted Living in Alaska

Assisted living is an ideal long-term care solution for relatively independent seniors who need help with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing, dressing, and using the bathroom. A Place for Mom’s partner assisted living facilities in Alaska average about $5,000 per month, or $60,000 annually.^[01] Assisted living in Alaska offers residents stunning views of the area’s natural landscapes and abundant wildlife, as well as comforting services and amenities like on- and off-site activities, medication management, and nutritious daily meals.

According to A Place for Mom’s proprietary data, the median cost of assisted living in Alaska is $5,000 per month comes in slightly higher than the national median cost of assisted living at $4,807.^[01] This monthly figure takes into account all fees, such as amenities and care costs.

The cost of assisted living can vary based on factors like the following:

• Location. Generally, assisted living costs increase as an area’s cost of living increases. In Alaska, the cost of living is 1.02 times higher than the national average.^[02]
• Care level. Some assisted living communities offer only personal care while others offer more in-depth or specialized care, such as memory care. The higher the care level your loved one needs, the more expensive it’ll likely be.
• Services and amenities. Some assisted living facilities’ monthly prices are all-inclusive, while others offer services based on tiered or a-la-carte pricing models. In these models, the monthly cost depends on how many and what type of services and amenities you select.

The price of assisted living in Alaska may be a bit higher than average. But, fortunately, there are a handful of programs and other benefits that may be able to help cover these costs. Read on to learn more about them.

Most adults will need some level of care as they get older, so it’s important to start planning to pay for that care well ahead of time. While many seniors pay for their assisted living care using personal savings, others can utilize federal- and state-funded programs. These include Medicaid, Medicare, and any applicable veterans benefits. Most families use a combination of payment methods.

In the state of Alaska, assisted living is legally referred to as “assisted living homes”. The state’s definition of an assisted living home is any system of care with a homelike environment and at least three residents with no relation to the owner. Residents must be seniors or people with mental, physical, or developmental disabilities. Lastly, to be deemed an assisted living home in Alaska, the home must provide or offer any combination of the following:^[06]

• Housing and food services
• Assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as dressing, bathing, and eating
• Personal assistance

Licensing and regulations for assisted living homes in Alaska

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Health Care Services licenses the state’s assisted living homes. Individual assisted living providers can determine the level of care and services they provide. These may include assistance with ADLs and some nursing care.

The Division of Health Care Services also sets Alaska’s assisted living regulations. These set admission and retention policies, require a resident assessment, limit room occupancy, set safety requirements and staffing requirements, and much more.^[07] Some specific examples of assisted living regulations in Alaska include the following:^[06]

• All facilities are required to have a contract in place with each individual resident prior to their admission. Under this rule, a resident’s 24-hour skilled nursing care is limited to 45 consecutive days unless a physician confirms the resident is terminally ill.
• There may be no more than two residents per bedroom.
• All assisted living homes must meet applicable life and fire safety requirements, including putting evacuation drills in place and properly installing smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms.
• All facilities should provide a safe environment for seniors with Alzheimer’s, but they’re not required to have an Alzheimer’s unit.
• All facilities must have an administrator who is at least aged 21, has completed an approved management or administrator training course, and has documented relevant experience.
• All facilities are required to have a sufficient number of trained care providers and other employees to meet the needs of the residents.

COVID-19 regulations in Alaska’s assisted living homes

Regarding COVID-19 regulations, there are no permanent regulatory changes in Alaska. However, you can view the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) list of general COVID-19 guidelines for the most up-to-date recommendations.

Further license and regulation resources

For a full list of assisted living facilities with current licenses, view Alaska Department of Health’s updated list. You can also view the following resources from the Alaska State Legislature for more information on Alaska’s assisted living facility regulations:

• Alaska Statues 2022: Assisted Living Homes
• Alaska Statutes 2022: Centralized Licensing and Related Administrative Procedures
• Alaska Statutes 2022: Administration of Welfare, Social Services, and Institutions
• Alaska Admin Code: Assisted Living Homes
• Alaska Admin Code: Licensing, Certification, and Approvals

A Place for Mom ratings on ease of access to assisted living facility information in Alaska

Public access to assisted living records and reports for the state of Alaska is basic. Key findings that informed this rating include the following:

• A list of licensed assisted living providers is only available as an Excel spreadsheet.
• Alaska does not make information about inspections, violations, and complaints available online.

Search for Alaska’s assisted living licenses and records by doing the following:

• Visit Alaska’s Division of Health Services website and select “assisted living licensing” in the right sidebar.
• A list of licensed communities can be downloaded.
• For information about complaints and enforcement actions contact the Assisted Living Licensing Program Manager at (907) 269-3640.

We developed a standard methodology for state data collection and evaluation, and based our rating primarily on the objective, state-specific accessibility criteria outlined in the following questions:

1. Are licensed assisted living communities listed online in any form? Yes
2. If Yes to #1, is the information updated frequently? Yes
3. If Yes to #1, is the list of licensed communities searchable? No
4. Does the state post inspections, complaints, survey results, or violations online? No
5. If Yes to #4, is the information updated frequently? within 90 days No or N/A
6. If Yes to #2 and #4, is the enforcement information included in the same place as licensed communities? No or N/A
7. If Yes to #4 and No to #6, are violations / inspections searchable at all? No
8. Is information about special licensing for care shown? Yes or N/A
9. Capacity shown? No
10. Payment types shown, e.g. Medicaid, private pay]? No
11. Administrator / Contact name shown? Yes
12. State may fine facility? Yes
13. Frequency of inspections? Every 24 months
14. Website includes pricing of facility? No