10 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Baton Rouge, LA

Assisted living comprises both room and board and in-home care. As such, residents can often use a combination of benefits, pensions, long-term insurance, and private pay options to cover the cost of living at their facilities.

In this payment guide, you will find information about all the ways to pay for care, including private sources, benefits for veterans, Medicare, and Medicaid.

All assisted living facilities in Louisiana must be licensed by the Louisiana Department of Health’s Health Standards Section. As licensed facilities, these communities are known and categorized as adult residential care providers. By law, these allow seniors to live in the least restrictive setting of their choice, ensure that facilities accommodate residents’ individualized changing needs and preferences; provide that facilities tend to the residents’ dignity, autonomy, and privacy; and encourage the involvement of seniors’ families in their care. Communities must provide or coordinate services that meet residents’ needs when it comes to assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs); meals; laundry; socialization and recreation opportunities; transportation; housekeeping services essential for health and comfort.

In Louisiana, adult residential care is broken into four classifications: personal care homes, shelter care homes, assisted living facilities (level 3 facilities), and adult residential care communities (level 4 facilities). Assisted living facilities provide adult residential care to 17 or more residents in independent apartments equipped with kitchenettes, which might be functional or made nonfunctional for safety reasons, though kitchenettes aren’t required in units designated for specialized dementia care.

Adult residential care communities have the same requirements but also provide intermittent nursing services to residents. Part of assisted living’s classification as adult residential care providers in Louisiana means that these facilities must be regularly inspected. Inspections must take place at least once a year, and the facilities must be able to show that they have all the systems, equipment, and protocols in place that they need in order to adequately care for seniors. This includes meeting residents’ changing needs and preferences and establishing care plans.

You can explore these provisions in greater depth at the state Department of Health website here. For inspection reports, you must make a public records request. Here are instructions on exactly how to do so.

Louisiana Department of Health contact information 

628 N. Fourth St.
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Phone: 888-342-6207
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4.30 p.m.

COVID-19 regulations for Baton Rouge assisted living facilities

COVID restrictions have been loosened in Louisiana, and mandates such as masking in public places have been lifted, but the state is still following government-issued advice.

A Place for Mom’s assisted living network in Baton Rouge includes eight facilities. Of those, none is a standalone assisted living facility: Five are combination assisted living and memory care facilities, and three are combination assisted living and independent living communities. When the distance from Baton Rouge’s city center expands from a 10-mile radius to a 25-mile radius, more options become available, with two combination assisted living, independent living, and memory care facilities added. This latter combination including memory care is sought-after because it allows seniors to stay in the same community as they age and their care needs progress.

Southern charm

Baton Rouge’s assisted living communities are special for their relaxed, homey atmospheres and their Louisiana charm, from the architecture to the lush landscapes that surround them. Pillared, canopy entrances or Colonial-style facades greet residents and their families at many locations. Some communities offer residents porches or gardens where they can grow flowers and tomatoes or enjoy garden areas tended by staff members. Amenities like these contribute to the Southern hospitality that care communities strive to offer in Greater Baton Rouge.

Convenient locations

The communities often tout their efforts to create encouraging social atmospheres through group events, off-site trips, arts and crafts, and outdoor events that prompt dialog and social interaction among residents. Many communities are convenient to shopping, dining, and recreational destinations that they encourage families and friends to enjoy alongside their senior loved ones.

Care and support

In these communities, seniors can expect to receive a high level of care and support while enjoying the same degree of privacy they had at home. Many of the communities take care to validate and support residents’ independence as much as possible while making sure they know support is close at hand. From 24-hour security and on-call care, to specialized nursing care and physician visits, assisted living residents should feel safe in the knowledge that whatever they’re facing, their community can support them with it.

Your choice of community

One of the great things about looking for assisted living in Baton Rouge is that different kinds of options are available, offering services and amenities that make sense for you and for your loved ones. All assisted living facilities in-network offer diabetic care, indoor and outdoor common areas, libraries, meeting rooms, patios, beauty salons, complimentary transportation, and low-sodium dining options.

Facilities differ in what forms of care they specialize in — 88% of our partners in the area offer some form of memory care, for example, and 50% offer oxygen care — so it’s worth looking around to see which communities can best cater to your needs.

Dining is another example of differentiation in Baton Rouge assisted living. In our network, many communities cater to seniors with dietary restrictions, with nearly 40% offering kosher meals and three-quarters serving vegetarian options. No matter the price range, seniors can find different room options, layouts, floorplans, and common areas, to suit their ideal routines.

Seniors in assisted living facilities have a lot of great care on their doorstep, not just housed in their facilities but in the wider community. Several hospitals and clinics in Baton Rouge offer a full range of services, including emergency care, surgery, and memory care.

In our network, all assisted living facilities offer complimentary transportation for residents. But there are also some public transportation options in Baton Rouge, and plenty of services specifically cater to older and less mobile residents.

The Capital Area Transit System (CATS) features routes and schedules that are more likely to suit seniors and their visiting families, reduced fares, and paratransit services for travelers with disabilities. While it offers no specific shuttle or van services for seniors, CATS does offer reduced fares for seniors aged 65 and older. Some other modes of transportation are Yellow Cab Baton Rouge, which provides paratransit services in addition to regular cab services.

Baton Rouge is an urban area interlaced with interstates, so most residents tend to drive as their primary mode of transportation. However, parts of the city — such as the downtown area, the Garden District, and Mid-City South – are more walkable, and seniors and their families who like to get around on foot can explore that way.^[05]

The scores depicted here are based on a scale of 100. Each score describes how well people are able to get around the area using that mode of traveling.

Baton Rouge and the wider area is a vibrant and storied place to live and visit. Sitting just 75 minutes northwest along Interstate 10 from New Orleans, the city is another famous example of the melding of Cajun and Creole cultures, and the melting pot to be found at the heart of Louisiana history.

The capital city features many sites of historical and cultural interest that seniors and their families might like to explore, including Louisiana State University’s Rural Life Museum and the Magnolia Mound Plantation dating back to 1791. Both destinations re-enliven historical periods and architecture for a modern audience.

Seniors and their families who want to soak in local flavor can also partake in Cajun and Creole cooking classes. Like much of Louisiana, Baton Rouge is known for its delicious cuisines, and many local restaurants and culinary schools offer cooking classes. Seniors can learn to cook traditional dishes like gumbo, jambalaya, and crawfish étouffée.

The even more adventurous might be willing to try a swamp tour: Louisiana is home to a unique ecosystem of swamps, and many tour companies offer swamp tours that offer seniors the opportunity to see alligators, snakes, and other wildlife up close.

Seniors living in assisted living facilities may be looking for places they can visit with family and friends that also offer great accessibility. Those who love art, music, dancing, drama, and dining should consider a visit to the Shaw Center for the Arts, which is fully wheelchair accessible and regularly hosts events for people with mobility, learning, and listening needs.

Another popular and accessible destination for seniors is the wheelchair-accessible Louisiana state Capitol. Tours of this tallest capitol building in the United States feature a beautiful observation deck that dazzles with stunning views of Baton Rouge. An additional destination is the Baton Rouge Zoo, which hosts a range of exhibits featuring animals from around the world, is wheelchair accessible and offers senior discounts.