Assisted Living in Alabama

The median monthly cost of assisted living in Alabama is $3,637 per month, according to A Place for Mom’s proprietary data. Half of A Place for Mom’s partner communities charge more than $3,637, while half charge less. This is $1,170 less per month than the national median cost, making Alabama among the nation’s most affordable states for assisted living.^[02]

The type of assisted living community a resident chooses will likely affect their cost of care. Standard assisted living facilities generally cost less than specialty care assisted living facilities for residents with dementia or cognitive decline. The size of a community may also affect costs. In Alabama, costs typically range from roughly $2,600 to just over $5,000 a month. Alabama divides their assisted living facilities into the following categories, based on their number of beds:^[03]

• Family (two or three residents)
• Group (three to 16 residents)
• Congregate (17 or more residents)
• Specialty care assisted living facilities (size varies based on care needs)

Monthly cost figures generally cover a senior’s complete care needs, including:

• Assistance with activities of daily living, such as dressing, bathing, and personal grooming
• 24-hour supervision and monitoring
• A safe, secure room or apartment
• Daily meals and snacks
• Assistance with personal medication management
• Social activities and event schedules
• Complimentary or at-cost transportation

Since specialty care assisted living facilities provide more intensive care for residents with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia, they’re often more expensive. More extensive staffing requirements, additional cognitive therapy programs, and increased safety features contribute to this cost difference.

Other factors can also affect the cost of assisted living in Alabama, like:

• Location. Facilities located in rural areas often cost less than those in urban centers.
• Services and amenities. Over 78% of our partner communities have beauticians, while nearly 49% have room service options. These may come with an additional fee.
• Floorplans. Single-occupancy rooms and apartments tend to be more expensive than double-occupancy rooms.

Medicare and Medicaid may also help offset some of the costs of medical care expenses in an assisted living community for qualified seniors.

Each family has their own unique budget and needs. The sooner you evaluate your loved one’s financial situation and determine your budget, the more options you may have available. This is especially true if your aging relative plans to apply for public assistance programs, such as Medicaid home and community based services (HCBS) waivers or stipends from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), both of which may have a waiting period. If you plan to use Medicare or Medicaid to cover any medical services in assisted living, an application or spend-down period may apply.

Many families use a combination of private funds and public payment methods to cover the costs of assisted living. For a high-level overview of payment options, consult our guide to paying for long-term care.

Alabama has different regulations and requirements for standard assisted living facilities and specialty care assisted living facilities. We’ll explain the similarities and differences below.^[03]

All assisted living facilities in Alabama must be licensed and inspected by the state, no matter the size or level of care they provide. All facilities from family homes to larger communities must comply with fire codes, staffing guidelines, and safety standards. Single-occupancy rooms must be at least 80 square feet in size, while double-occupancy rooms must be 130 square feet. Bathrooms can’t be shared by more than six residents.

To be admitted to an assisted living facility, prospective residents must complete medical and cognitive exams by a doctor within 30 days of entry. Facility administrators must also work with new residents to complete a comprehensive care plan in conjunction with the facility and family.

The prospective resident must not require skilled nursing care or wound care beyond basic first aid at time of admittance to the facility. Residents must also be able to self-administer prescription medication with assistance during their time at the facility.

Staffing requirements for Alabama assisted living facilities

All assisted living communities in Alabama must offer 24-hour supervision, but requirements vary by care type.

Standard assisted living facilities:^[04]

• Do not have staff-to-resident ratio requirements.
• Must be staffed at all times by at least one care provider with CPR training.
• Must always have sufficient staff to assist in case of a fire, natural disaster, or other emergency.
• Have an on-site administrator who’s passed a licensure exam and completed a 20-hour classroom training program, plus ongoing annual trainings.

Specialty care assisted living facilities:

• Must have an administrator, a medical director, at least one RN, and a care coordinator.
• Must have at least two staff members on-site 24 hours a day, or have a sufficient number of staff members to meet requisite ratios, which are determined by facility size.
• Have all staff members trained in dementia care and certified per the Dementia Education and Training Act Care Series, including annual continuing education.

After a facility becomes licensed, they must renew their license yearly and undergo inspections from Alabama Public Health — Bureau of Health Provider Standards. This office also investigates complaints about cleanliness, resident treatment, and quality of care. Inspection reports are available to the public through Alabama Public Health’s Health Care Facilities Deficiencies database.

Ranking Alabama’s system of regulation and records

We developed a system to rate each state on how easy — or difficult — it is to find important assisted living records and reports, and compiled tips to help you in your search.

States with the most transparent records allow you to look up important information about each assisted living facility online, including inspections, complaints, survey results, violations, capacity, and whether the facility accepts Medicaid to pay for long-term care services.

Access to Alabama assisted living records: Exceptional

Public access to assisted living records and reports for the state of Alabama is exceptional. Here are the key findings that informed this rating:

• Assisted living records in Alabama are highly transparent, having met all but one of the transparency criteria.
• Alabama assisted living records are available through a convenient online health provider search.

How to look up Alabama assisted living licenses and records

• Visit the Alabama Department of Public Health’s Health Care Facilities Directory page.
• To research violations, visit the Health Care Facilities Deficiencies page.

How we arrived at our Alabama rating

A Place for Mom developed an assisted living rating methodology for state data collection and evaluation. We based our rating primarily on the objective, state-specific accessibility criteria outlined in these 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? Yes
4. Does the state post inspections, complaints, survey results, or violations online? Yes
5. If Yes to #4, is the information updated frequently? [within 90 days] Yes
6. If Yes to #2 and #4, is the enforcement information included in the same place as licensed communities? Yes
7. If Yes to #4 and No to #6, are violations / inspections searchable at all? Yes or N/A
8. Is information about special licensing for care shown? Yes
9. Capacity shown? Yes
10. Payment types shown, [e.g. Medicaid, private pay]? Yes
11. Administrator / Contact name shown? Yes
12. State may fine facility? Yes
13. Frequency of inspections? Every 12 months
14. Website includes pricing of facility? No